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Last blog post we mentioned the mullet run which is a migration of one of our common fish along the SC coast that signifies a changing of season. Did you know sharks migrate too? Around the coast in the low country we have about 38 species of sharks, skates, and rays that frequent our waters….

Late August through early September is when seasons in the low country start to change. Although it is still warm in the Charleston area, the changes can be subtle. The marsh grass also called spartina (how did you read it Sparh-tie-nuh or Sparh-tea-na?) will start to hint at a golden color. Migration of birds, fish,…

Capers beach sweep partnered with the SCA! Days are starting to get shorter so when booking sunset dolphin tours please be mindful of the tour times! Tis’ the season when sunset is getting earlier! Please check our website if you have any questions about tours or feel free to give us a call at 843-886-5000! We’d love…

Horeshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) Horseshoe crab shells are frequently found washed up on Capers Island and other beaches. To know if it is a true molt or shed of its exoskeleton is sometime difficult to determine. If it looks like the shell is peeling open around the upper edge, it is probably a molt. If…

Eastern brown pelicans on the fly! A common but wonderful sight to see when heading out to Capers Island is the diving eastern brown pelican! Did you know there are eight species of pelican world wide and out of those eight, only two species of pelican will dive as a feeding behavior? One of those…

If you have joined us on a tour you know the goal destination is Capers Island. Capers is a barrier island. Barrier Islands are made up of three distinct habitats; salt marsh, maritime forest, and beach! Maritime forest is a fancy name for forest near the sea (Mar=water like marina or marine). Barrier islands can lessen the impact of storms due to their sand dunes and grasses that are able to absorb storm or wave energy. They are also dynamic because they are constantly gaining or loosing sand deposits by wind and water (island erosion!). 

Diane showing off her crabbie friends! Cannot believe we are already to August! As we are preparing for kiddos to go back to school we will be starting to limit our tour options so please contact our office or check our website if you have any questions about tours. Weekly Wednesday Low country boils as…

During the summer months there are different birds that migrate to the low country signifying summer has arrived! We are including a short list of a few summer migrants—there are several more but these are some we get most excited to see! Wood Stork : huge wading bird. Bald head with white body and black outline along very edge of its wings. Link to photo and more information on Wood Storks here! 

Dolphin jumping in the water! In the Charleston area there are 350-450 year round residential Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins. This particular group of dolphins or stock of dolphins only hangs out in the tidal salt marshes and surrounding estuaries. During the summer months this number of dolphins increases to about 900 individuals. This means there is…

Plz Recycle. Hi July! And welcome to our monthly citizen science blog post! We would like to reiterate our new public tour schedules and additional public tours for the summer season. We will be having a shorter loop tour (info here about that tour) and our crabbing trip is back (info here for crabbing trip)!!…

Happy 4th of July! We know traditions run deep for the 4th–including firework shows. We’ve come up with a pros and cons list of fireworks and a list of alternatives to using fireworks for the 4th. Maybe one of the alternatives could be used in addition to sparklers. Sparklers are easier to dispose of when…

There are key differences between tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes. Each stage represents development and intensity of a tropical cyclone’s “lifecycle”. Because we’ve already had some spicy storm activity we thought we would review the differences in this blog post! If you are interested in keeping up with tropical summer cyclones we recommend checking out this website provided from NOAA. Tropical Depressions are the initial stage of tropical cyclones. They form when a low-pressure system over warm ocean waters begins to show organized circulation. Wind speeds in a tropical depression are relatively mild, typically not exceeding 38 mph. Despite their lower intensity, tropical depressions can bring significant rainfall and potential flooding. Tropical Storms develop from tropical depressions once sustained wind speeds reach between 39 and 73 mph. At this stage, the system is more organized, and the characteristic spiral…