November 2026: Santee Coastal Reserve

Santee Coastal Reserve is a great birding spot with three main habitats — old-growth longleaf pine forest, freshwater swamp, and fresh or brackish marshland.

The pine forest along the entrance road holds specialty species of longleaf pine forests. Many birders have gotten their lifer Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and Bachman’s Sparrows along this drive. Hiking into a freshwater swamp (with a good boardwalk) leads to a large heron rookery, then out into extensive marshlands for ducks, rails, shorebirds, and other wetlands species. Rarities found here have included Ruff, Black Rail, Yellow Rail, and American Avocet.