"Let’s start big picture. What’s the vibe here? Up the coastal highway sits an extraordinary sanctuary for birds of prey, a non-profit that takes in injured eagles, falcons, owls, hawks, pelicans, etc., treats and releases them. Clearly the staff and volunteers have hearts of gold and perform an essential service, but luckily for the public, it’s also a captivating place to visit. Eighteen miles northeast of Charleston, you pull off at the giant metal bird sign, where a winding dirt road leads you back, deep into the maritime forest, to the preserve. Any standout features or must-sees? The Center opens to the public for a few days each week, and they hold a flight demonstration. You don’t want to miss this. Guests sit on wooden beams arranged as a hillside amphitheater, as birds are released, one by one, to show off their particular skills. The birds were all bred in captivity here at the Center, so they are very much at ease here, in tune with their trainers’ cues. As the speaker talks and fills your head with avian terms you never knew (“plumicorn,” anyone?), the crowd listens and watches, riveted, as a Harris’s hawk swoops in to snatch up a fake rabbit, a ural owl glides silently from perch to perch, a yellow-billed kite (native to sub-Saharan Africa) dances on air, flies directly over the heads of the audience, and plucks food straight from the trainer’s fingers with nary a scratch. All the while, visitors ask loads of questions. It’s very interactive. You learn about threats to different avian species worldwide, about breeding and reintroduction programs, about migratory instincts and built-in sonar and other trivia. Meanwhile, wild red-tailed hawks and bald eagles pass high overhead. Education Director Stephen Schabel told me that his record for bald eagle sightings in a single day was forty!—and that if he doesn’t spot at least eight, he’s doing something wrong. Was it easy to get around? Before and after the flight demonstration, visitors walk the grounds to see the resident birds. A printed map, or downloadable phone app, gives the layout. Head across the open field to an area dubbed “Owl Wood” for obvious reasons. Fourteen roomy enclosures house regional and non-native owls. Some sleep in perfect balance on their perches, but some are quite active (crepuscular hunters, not nocturnal ones). King of them all is the hypnotizing orange-eyed Eurasian eagle owl “Bubo Bubo” with his magnificent downy plumage. When you’re done owl-gawking, walk back across the field to a wooded area that houses a network of housing for hawks, buzzards, falcons, vultures, eagles, kites, and storks. On my visit, there were five bald eagles in residency, some of whom were quite vocal, emitting shrill cries as they hopped and flew from wooden trunks to upper pedestals, just 10 feet away from where I stood. Grounds are navigable for those with mobility issues (this is the Lowcountry, so very little change in elevation), assuming you’re OK with gravel paths and loamy forest floors. All said and done, what—and who—is this best for? The Center is well worth the admission price (adults $22, youth $17) but I would also emphasize that visitors are helping the non-profit fund critical work. This is the only site-built oil spill treatment facility in the Southeast, ready to assist shorebirds if a tanker sinks or a boat wreck creates an oil slick. Volunteers from all over Charleston and the Lowcountry are trained to assist the Center with safe and humane transportation of injured birds to the facility. So by visiting the Center, you support something truly noble, and you leave inspired and amazed." - Allston McCrady
