Wading birds, ibis and egrets, roosting in trees at a dusk rookery

The wild side

Most of this island is forest, marsh, and dune. The houses are the guests here.

Sunrise and sunset, island time

Dawn at the bird sanctuary

Get to the sanctuary outlook before the sun and the island will hand you its best show for free: the dawn chorus building out of the dark, herons commuting, a bullfrog keeping the beat. If you can't be there at 6 am, the recording below was, and it sounds exactly like this.

The sanctuary wakes up

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Dawn at the sanctuary outlook: layered birdsong and a bullfrog calling across the water.Recorded at the bird sanctuary outlook at dawn.

The full half-hour morning lives in the listening room.

Turtles, tours, and the Conservancy

The BHI Conservancy runs the island's sea-turtle program, guided turtle walks in season, kayak trips, birding outings, and kids' programs from its campus near East Beach. Nesting season runs May 1 to November 15: red lights only on the beach at night, and give any marked nest a wide berth.

Want the residents one by one?Meet the island's wildlife: sea turtles, alligators, the wading birds, and the pelicans, each with when and where to find them.

Walk it

Kent Mitchell Nature Trail

A short boardwalk trail through maritime forest and salt marsh near the Maritime Market, with interpretive signs along the way. An easy first taste of the island's wild side.

Difficulty: easy.See the map