Seasonal guided walks to Bird Island resume

Guided walks to Bird Island are back for another season.

At 9 a.m. every Wednesday through August, visitors are invited to meet at the last westward walkover at 40th Street in Sunset Beach for a guided stroll down the beach to the pristine, uninhabited island.

A knowledgeable tour guide leads the way, offering information and answering questions during the hour-long beach walk.

Topics include beachcombing, sand dune wildlife, habitats of Bird Island and the history of Bird Island.

Discover the fascinating history of Bird Island. Take a tour back in time. Discover more than just the physical changes of Bird Island.

Learn about the history, sand dunes, jetty, maritime forest and salt marsh as participants observe these environments in one of the last untouched barrier islands in North Carolina.

Long a popular day-trip destination for boaters, beachcombers and bicyclists venturing west of Sunset Beach, Bird Island is home to the Kindred Spirit mailbox, where writers from all walks and places often pause and record their reflections in one of the notebooks kept inside the mailbox.

During the busy summer visitation months, the 1,200-acre island is monitored daily by volunteers with the Bird Island Preservation Society, which keeps close tabs on the state-owned, uninhabited island.

Six years ago, Bird Island was purchased by the state as a pristine preserve for $4.2 million.

The island was once separated from Sunset Beach by Mad Inlet, which closed completely after 1983, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the Little River rock jetties at the southwest tip of the island touching into South Carolina.

The seasonal, weekly summer walks started June 11 and continue every Wednesday morning through Aug. 27. No reservations or admission fees are required.

Wear a good pair of beach-walking shoes and bring your curiosity about the island.