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Home → Tours and Travel

Photographing Birds at Murrells Inlet, South Carolina

By Thomas Stirr 33 Comments
Last Updated On April 30, 2023

During our recent holiday in the Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina I had the opportunity to spend some time photographing birds at Murrells Inlet. Early February is not the best time for bird photography as the number of birds and range of species is somewhat limited. Never-the-less I persevered and visited the inlet a number of times, usually going out to the end of the pier.

murrell01
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 400, 1/3200, f/5.6

For the first few days of our visit even the pelicans seemed to be in short supply. The ones that were there seemed to be more interested in perching and hanging around the fishing boats looking for handouts or waiting for scraps from the fish cleaning tables.

murrell02
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 245.7mm, ISO 400, 1/3200, f/5.6

As a result I had very few opportunities to capture images of pelicans in flight and had to settle for other types of activity such as the bird below smacking its wings on the water and creating a commotion.

murrell03
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 360, 1/2500, f/5.6

Things did pick up during the second half of our stay as a few more birds were at the inlet, although the number of bird-in-flight opportunities was still quite limited.

murrell04
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 720, 1/3200, f/6.3

Since I had some prior experience photographing birds at Murrells Inlet I was aware of the more common flight paths the pelicans tend to use so I was able to make the best of the situation. Often times a few hours waiting patiently at the end of the pier would only yield a handful of shooting opportunities.

murrell05
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 450, 1/3200, f/5.6

One afternoon after returning to the beach house we had rented, I was reviewing my images from the day and noticed that one of my BIF photographs was of a pelican with a damaged beak, as you can see in the image above. One can only speculate whether this injury was healing or if it would lead to negative consequences.

murrell06
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 234.5mm, ISO 720, 1/2500, f/5.6

During my visits to Murrells Inlet I usually shot in AF-C with subject tracking at 15fps. I had a few opportunities to capture pelicans taking off from the water and my Nikon 1 V2 with a 1 Nikon CX 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 zoom attached did a good job tracking and holding focus.

murrell07
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 228.9mm, ISO 560, 1/3200, f/5.6

Most of the time I used centre-weighted metering, and shot in Manual mode with Auto-ISO. The only time I missed a few shots with my Nikon 1 V2 was when I was testing my newly acquired Nikon 1 GP-N100 GPS. Likely due to increased battery drain, there was a noticeable lag in the time it took for an image to appear in my EVF. This was quickly countered by holding the thumb of my shutter hand over the EVF sensor.

murrell08
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 224mm, ISO 200, 1/250, f/5.6

As in many coastal areas there were quite a few cormorants around. They seemed even more content to perch than the pelicans. Having shot thousands of cormorant images over the years I ignored the birds most days. Late one afternoon I noticed some interesting light illuminating one of the cormorants and I couldn’t help but press the shutter.

murrells08a
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 500, 1/2500, f/5.6

While rarely in flight, I did catch a cormorant landing close to one of the docks.

murrell09
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 800, 1/2000, f/5.6

Boat-tailed grackles were quite numerous and I took the odd image.

murrell10
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 160, 1/2500, f/5.6

The egrets were particularly scarce during the early part of our trip and those that were at the inlet tended to be a fair distance from the end of the pier making photographing them rather pointless. I did get a couple of decent AF-C runs, producing some useable images when the odd bird ventured within shooting distance.

murrell11
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 250, 1/2500, f/5.6

Even when shooting against some cluttered backgrounds the AF-C of my Nikon 1 V2 did a good job maintaining focus.

murrell12
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 160, 1/2500, f/5.6

There were a few other birds in the channel from time to time, often diving to feed. Although I’m unclear of the exact species I was able to capture a few images of the loon below.

murrell13
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 720, 1/3200, f/6.3

Most visits to Murrells Inlet were pretty predictable in terms of the small number of birds and species present. For whatever reason Lady Luck smiled down on me during one particular visit and I was able to get this image of an oyster catcher in flight. I’ve always found these fast and erratic flyers a challenge and this is one of the few useable images I’ve ever captured.

murrell14
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 250, 1/3200, f/6.3

Amazingly later that same visit I noticed a larger bird approaching from the north. I initially thought is was an egret but soon noticed its curved beak. During my entire stay this was the only adult ibis I saw at Murrells Inlet and the one and only opportunity I had to capture any images of it.

murrell15
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 257.7mm, ISO 180, 1/3200, f/5.6

I went out quite early one morning and braved the -3 Celcius (28 F) temperature along with some strong winds coming onshore that contributed to a wind chill temperature of approximately of -9 Celcius (16 F). I was rewarded with my only decent opportunity to catch a Great Blue Heron in flight. This is one frame from a long 42-frame AF-C burst I did with my Nikon 1 V2.

murrells16
NIKON 1 V2 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 200, 1/2500, f/5.6

While many of us who visit the Grand Stand area of South Carolina think of it as a ‘sun and sand’ type of destination it does offer some interesting birding subjects for photographers. Other interesting photo opportunities in the area include landscape and sculpture images at Brookgreen Gardens, and a fascinating swamp walk at Beider Forest in Harleyville which is about 2 hours away.

Article and all images Copyright Thomas Stirr. No use, duplication of any kind, or adaptation is permitted without written consent.

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Filed Under: Tours and Travel Tagged With: Birds in Flight, Nikon CX

About Thomas Stirr

Thomas Stirr is an author, photographer/videographer, and executive coach based in Grimsby Ontario Canada. He specializes in industrial photography, as well as safety/training/corporate videos. His work also includes landscape and nature photography, and experimentation with photo art. Nikon Canada has featured Tom's work numerous times on Facebook and Twitter. To follow Thomas, please visit his photography blog and check out his eBooks.

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Abrianna
Abrianna
February 19, 2016 3:18 pm

Great pictures. I was so excited when I finally saw a great blue heron over the past two weeks. I have been in this area (/S/a/v/a/n/n/a/h) for 4 1/2 years and had not seen one until now. Yes I took lots of pictures.

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  Abrianna
February 19, 2016 3:23 pm

Thanks for the positive comment Abrianna!
Tom

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Meggi Raeder
Meggi Raeder
February 16, 2016 5:27 pm

Thank you, Thomas
Meggi

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Meggi Raeder
Meggi Raeder
February 16, 2016 11:46 am

Hi Thomas, you say February is not the best time for the birds. Can you suggest what is a good time for bird photography around Myrtle Beach. I have never been there – reside on the West Coast – but would like to explore. Your images are great specifically considering your small Nikon system.
Meggi

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  Meggi Raeder
February 16, 2016 3:55 pm

Hi Meggi,

The folks that I met when I was out photographing said that the prime period for the most number, and biggest variety of birds is April through October. Perhaps other Photography Life readers who have more experience in the area than I do can also comment on their experiences. Many folks told me that there are a number of nature reserves along the coast all the way down to Savannah which are also great places for bird photography.

Tom

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Andy Glavac
Andy Glavac
February 16, 2016 6:11 am

A great series . A nice test for your Nikon V-1 .

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  Andy Glavac
February 16, 2016 6:26 am

Thanks Andy…glad you enjoyed the images! Are you still enjoying your V2?
Tom

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Muhammad Omer
Muhammad Omer
February 16, 2016 1:23 am

Thomas, I am travelling to toronto in march. I will also visit niagara in this trip. I once read an article where you had shot some canada geese along niagara river. What other places can i visit in niagara for photographing birds? Also is Ontario lake any good for this purpose?

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  Muhammad Omer
February 16, 2016 3:42 am

Hi Muhammad Omer,

If you will be visiting the Toronto area likely the best place to visit is Tommy Thompson Park which is right off the Leslie Street spit. It is only open to the public on weekends as it is an active construction zone but you’ll find it will afford you all kinds of good opportunities to photograph birds. The website has a lot of details on the various species that can be observed and during which seasons. There is a bird research station in the park. tommythompsonpark.ca/ There are plenty of things to photograph in the Niagara area, but if you want a good selection of birds in a convenient setting close to Toronto, Tommy Thompson Park is a decent choice. You can also try Ruthven Park in Cayuga and Dufferin Islands at Niagara Falls.

Tom

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C J Nappoly
C J Nappoly
February 16, 2016 1:18 am

Hi Thomas,

Great images. Result of patience, perseverance, hard work and image processing that has gone into bringing out these excellent images cannot be fathomed.

It was just extreme pleasure watching those images. Enjoyed every picture.

Your posts and of course like all other posts from PL are highly informative and descriptive. At one point in your post you have mentioned “The egrets were particularly scarce during the early part of our trip and those that were at the inlet tended to be a FAIR DISTANCE from the end of the pier making photographing them rather pointless. I did get a couple of decent AF-C runs, producing some useable images when the odd bird VENTURED WITHIN SHOOTING DISTANCE.”

This has always intrigued, what would be the FAIR DISTANCE or WITHIN SHOOTING DISTANCE when shooting birds? And how much of decent / maximum crop can be applied with respect to the original image. Also if you could please tell how much of maximum crop was applied to the above images to bring out these final fantastic outputs? Am sure the first requirement would be a good reach zoom lens. Your advice would be of great help for people like me.

Or can we say it in this way: How much of the view finder should the SUBJECT (in this case the bird) occupy for making that a great shot? And also the amount of the image can could be safely cropped on the maximum side.

Thanks

C J Nappoly

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  C J Nappoly
February 16, 2016 4:36 am

Hi CJ,

Thank your for your positive comment – much appreciated!

Every photographer has their own approach when it comes to shooting wildlife and birds in particular. In terms of how much a particular image is cropped, it often comes down to the gear that was used to do the original capture and how badly a photographer wants the particular bird in the frame. For example, I captured a kingfisher in flight but did not use it for this article as the crop would have been over 75% and there simply wouldn’t have been enough detail in the image left to use it here.

When I used to shoot with a Nikon D800/Tamron 150-600mm combination I had a lot more cropping potential than I do with my Nikon 1 V2s and crops of about 50% were quite common for me to do with my D800 files. Working with a 36MP sensor gives more options than when shooting with a 14MP sensor as in my Nikon 1 V2s.

Whenever I’m shooting any subject matter my goal is always to capture it as large in the frame as I can and avoid cropping my images at all if I can manage it. That’s one of the reasons that I much prefer shooting with zoom lenses as I find they work best for me in terms of framing my images exactly as I want them and avoiding the need to crop.

It is hard for me to remember what I did with each image in this article but as best as I can remember a number of them are displayed as full frame captures without any cropping at all. If I remember correctly…I think images 1, 3, 11, 12, 14 and 17 are full frame captures that were not cropped at all. The other images would have had fairly minor cropping, i.e. 10-20%, usually to better position the bird in the frame. Some, like images 13 and 16, were only cropped vertically. The most aggressive crop would have been the oyster catcher in image 15. This one was likely cropped about 40%. I would very seldom crop more aggressively than that when using my Nikon 1 V2s…and even 40% is a stretch for me.

One of the reasons that I like shooting birds-in-flight at a place like Murrells Inlet is because of its wide open vantage point at the end of the pier. I can spot birds approaching at a distance and I begin framing my shots as the bird approaches. Typically “within shooting distance” for me is when a large bird like a pelican or egret is filling about 45%-50% of the frame vertically and/or horizontally. I usually start my AF-C at this point. Obviously smaller birds and much harder to capture, even when perched, so I’ll allow more of the background to be included. This can also give the bird image some context. Here is an example: tomstirrphotography.com/ruby-…ed-kinglet

Hope this has helped.

Tom

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C J Nappoly
C J Nappoly
Reply to  Thomas Stirr
February 18, 2016 12:13 am

Hi Thomas,

Thank you so much for such a detailed explanation. Pardon me for turning your post into a semi tutorial. Thanks also for dedicating one full paragraph for explaining the amount of crop you had applied for the posted images. In fact, I should not asked for such details. I appreciate your patience.

Few things that I have learnt:

Cropping depends on the kind of gear used, which evidently transforms in terms of resolution.

Avoid cropping as much as possible to retain finer details of the image.

Typically the subject should nearly fill 45% to 50% of the frame.

Shoot birds in AF-C mode.

Thank you once again,

C J Nappoly

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  C J Nappoly
February 18, 2016 12:50 am

Hi CJ,
You’re welcome! You asked a good question that deserved a detailed answer which I was happy to provide for you!
Tom

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srikanth
srikanth
Reply to  Thomas Stirr
February 22, 2016 9:39 pm

This is what I like about this site. Good question C J Nappoly. And thomas, this is a very patient and detailed explanation. The learning and the ideas here are immense. Great … this is why I keep on visiting the site regularly

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  srikanth
February 23, 2016 8:37 pm

Thanks for the supportive comment srikanth – much appreciated! I have always appreciated questions and comments from readers, whether they are here on Photography Life or on my own photography blog, and try to respond as best I can.
Tom

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srikanth
srikanth
February 15, 2016 11:29 pm

Hi Thomas, As an avid follower of PL in general and most of your articles in particular, I must say that these images are fantastic as usual. In my mind’s eye I associate this kind of beautiful images, especially of birds in flight, with your posts. Your penchant for shooting birds in flight is just great and as a seasoned pro, your gear is giving you great shots. Compositions are rocking as usual. Unfortunately, I do not own gear to shoot birds in flight and I have only my 35mm f/1.8G prime with my kit lens – am sure this kind of photography involves considerable patience and loads of practice to get shots like this. That you have braved the chill and waited patiently to get these shots speaks a lot on your passion for photography. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at these photos….someday I wish I can also capture such shots as this. Keep the good work coming….cheers to you and the team at PL…. P.S : I always see the gear and the lens combo – I do not see if any other accessories were used (for instance filters may be used)….for beginners like me , this will also help understand the vast complexities of photography….Cheers. keep the pics flowing.

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  srikanth
February 16, 2016 3:25 am

Hi srikanth,
Thank you very much for your positive comment – it is most appreciated! As far as filters go I have UV filters on all of my lenses, typically B+W if available for the size I require. For birds in flight I do not use any additional filters. The article provides some details on the typical settings that I use when shooting birds in flight. Nasim has written some fantastic articles here on Photography Life about using filters and these can provide some great reference material for you. Like all of us, if you follow your passion for photography you will continually grow and learn…and have lots of fun creating images!
Tom

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Sara
Sara
February 15, 2016 9:46 pm

Nice work. These mirrorless cameras are proving to be a lot more attractive than I thought they would.

Sometimes, I do envy just a tiny bit the people who can get to places like this. But since I’m stuck in the Great Frozen North in winter, I try to make the most of what is available to me. I put out bird food including suet cakes for the birds that winter over, and then I call them. They know that sound, and frequently come in droves. I have shots of grackles that will make you fall down laughing. We’ve had several harsh winters. If the birds come back on time and there is no food, they come to my ‘restaurant’. I guess word gets around. Occasionally, the unusual bird will show up, too, which is a bonus.

I like these mirrorless cameras better than I thought I would. They seem to produce image quality as good as any DSLR does, and I”m looking forward to this summer when I can get to a wetland and shoot the swallows chasing mosquitoes. They corner like they’re on rails.

That’s very nice work, and a good reference for what the mirrorless camera system can do.

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  Sara
February 16, 2016 3:35 am

Hi Sara,

My wife and I also love to have bird feeders in our backyard and like your experience, it can attract a lot of birds. I also enjoy photographing birds in my back yard and have captured quite a few interesting species. Most recently I had a Coopers Hawk and a Sharp-Shinned Hawk visit my yard several times each. We’ve also found that having a pond in the backyard really helps to attract birds. We leave ours running all winter so the birds have water to drink.

In terms of image quality, the small CX sensor in my Nikon 1 gear may not meet the needs of other photographers, especially when shooting in lower light conditions, or when more dynamic range or colour depth are needed. It all comes down to the individual needs of a photographer. Every camera has some kind of trade-off and I think the most important thing is for each of us to choose gear that meets our specific needs.

Tom

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Jorge Balarin
Jorge Balarin
February 15, 2016 7:59 pm

Super photos. It is extraordinary that you managed to do them with your toy camera (it’s a joke). Many greetings !

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  Jorge Balarin
February 15, 2016 8:09 pm

Thanks Jorge – glad you enjoyed the images! While Nikon 1 gear may not suit the needs of other photographers, I love shooting with the system.
Tom

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Ron
Ron
February 15, 2016 7:08 pm

Hi Thomas, question for you (I should remember this, but can’t) with the 70-300 lens on the Nikon 1, what would that be equivalent to as in the case of a 35 mm film camera?

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  Ron
February 15, 2016 8:08 pm

Hi Ron,
The crop factor with a 1″ CX sensor is 2.7, so the efov is 189-810mm when compared to a full frame camera.
Tom

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