Bear Island Wildlife Management Area

Overview

Area name

Area Location

From Jacksonboro head south on U.S. 17 for approximately 7.2 miles. Look for Bennetts Point Road and Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, turn left onto Bennetts Point Rd.

Area Map

Access

Admission is free.

Hours of Operation: dawn to dusk, Monday – Saturday. The area is closed from October 15 to February 1 every year to protect waterfowl.

Facilities

Background

Bear Island, with Donnelley WMA, is part of the ACE Basin – Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto – three rivers which form the basin in St. Helena Sound.

Highlights of this area include excellent birding (all year long) along Bennetts Point Road (be aware of speeding traffic), Ashepoo River Bridge, Marys House Pond (headquarters of Bear Island WMA), Hog Island McKenzie Field Station.

Key Birds

Resident

Anhinga, American White Pelican, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Tricolored Heron, Little Blue Heron, Glossy Ibis, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Mottled Duck, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, King Rail, Black Rail, Eurasian Collared Dove, White-winged Dove, Barn Own, Eastern Screech-owl, Pileated Woodpecker, Loggerhead Shrike, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Seaside Sparrow.

Spring

Bobolink, Tree Swallow

Summer

Least Bittern, Yellow-crowned Night-heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Black-necked Stilt, Least Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Black Skimmer, Common Nighthawk, Chuck-will’s-widow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Painted Blue Bunting, Orchard Oriole.

Fall

Tree Swallow

Winter

Tundra Swan, American Black Duck, Northern Pintail, Lesser Scaup, Hooded Merganser, Merlin, Virginia Rail, Sora, Bonaparte’s Gull, American Pipit, Sedge Wren, Orange-crowned Warbler, Palm Warbler, Nelson’s Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Bald Eagle, American White Pelican.