Pinckney Island offers birding tours for mobility challenged individuals

“Birdability” birdwatching tours at Pinckney Island Wildlife Refuge will be offered free of charge for mobility challenged individuals from 8:30 to 10 a.m. each Tuesday March 21 through May 16. This partnership between the Friends of the Savannah Coastal Wildlife Refuges and Hilton Head Audubon offers an opportunity to ride a 15-seat electric shuttle with a bird guide to look for both migrating birds and nesting egrets and herons present during the spring on Pinckney Island. Passengers do not have to leave the shuttle during the tour. The golf cart was purchased to expand accessibility at Pinckney, thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry.

“Birdability” focuses on removing barriers to access for birders with mobility challenges and disabilities or other health concerns.

The diverse habitats at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge attract an abundance of wildlife throughout the year, providing excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. The refuge bird list contains over 250 species. During spring migrations, warblers and other migratory song birds are common among the live oaks and in the shrub/scrub habitat. A variety of raptors, shorebirds, and wading birds call the refuge home year-round. Pinckney Island NWR is one of the best places in South Carolina to see breeding yellow-crowned night herons.

In addition, Hilton Head Audubon publishes a list of accessible birding locations on and around Hilton Head at hiltonheadaudubon.org/birdability. For the tours, guests may bring their own binoculars or use those provided. You must register to participate, at coastalrefuges.org/pinckney-tours.

ONLY ONE STEP AWAY

FLYERS from page 16A

Victor Stoykovich has had the Red Baron for 10 years, but has been flying for all of his life. He usually flies it for about 10 minutes but at the moment it is being cranky, he said, because it has been sitting a while. Other members offer what they can to help, but the biplane remains stubborn.

Stoykovich alternates between working on the mechanism in the fuselage, trying to turn the propellor and getting down on the ground to work under the plane.

John Hensley, a private chef, is one of the newest and youngest members, and said on the ground is the normal position for a lot of pilots trying to get their planes in the air. He’s been a member for about a year, thanks to a gift from his wife.

“I just needed a hobby to get into, and my wife had bought me a plane. I enjoyed flying it and found these guys in the field. It was perfect,” said Hensley. “It keeps us all out of trouble. This is really, really good group and you don’t have to go to the bar or anything like that.”

He started with one plane and now has a total of 11, including the one that crashed that morning. It’ll go back up again, Hensley said, “when I get my nerves back. We hopefully got the adjustments right on it. It just didn’t have enough lift on it.”

Hensley said he lucked out with joining this group after checking out others in the area.

“They’re very helpful and they’re very supportive. And they’re very welcoming. With these guys it felt like home,” he said. “It’s a fun place, and this is actually a pretty small group today. When it gets really packed out here, there’s planes all over the place. And unfortunately, there’s always planes that go down as part of it.”

Dennis Rief is not one to shy away from crashes.

“I do a lot of crashes because I do a lot of crazy stunts. I gotta take this little guy that’s on the table and do a lot of stunts,” he said.

Rief had just fueled an Ultra Stick, the first kind of plane he learned to fly. He began in his late 30s and has “a bunch of planes,” but only brought three to the field.

The second plane was a Mustang and the third was a Crusader, otherwise known as an Ugly Stick.

“It’s a challenge to do certain things in the air. Stunts and landings and takeoffs are really a lot of fun, especially the landings,” said Rief.

He loves the mechanics, setting up the planes and putting all the equipment in it. Holding up the Mustang, he removed a piece from the top of the fuselage to reveal the battery compartment, the receiver and the wires that control each of the moving parts. His radio can control up to 10 model airplanes, so he can select the one that goes with the Mustang.

No two planes were alike on the flightline. Jess Haynes, the youngest member present, had three, one of which was a good-sized model of a P-47, a plane that flew in the European Theatre during World War II. He’s been a member for six months and has taken to flying like a duck to water, earning the admiration of the more experienced flyers for his skills.

Armand Klinger was a navigator in the U.S. Air Force, retiring after 20 years. He’s been flying since he was about 10 years old and has had an “uncountable” number of planes.

On the plane table was his Extra 300, an electric model of an actual aerobatic plane frequently seen at air shows. He called it a “foamie” because of its special rubberized foam body, which makes it pretty tough and very lightweight – about 4 pounds. It carries a gyro inside, which helps stabilize the plane even if it is windy.

As it flew, he expressed some concern over the battery’s strength, saying it wasn’t putting out as much power as he thought it should.

“When they get to be about 2 years old they start losing their strength,” Klinger said. Sure enough, when he put it back on the table and examined the battery, it was beginning to swell and was dated five years ago.

By late morning, Stoykovich was still not getting any response from the Red Baron. Seigler said a few days later that by the time he left, the plane was still on the ground.

“Engine problems are fairly normal,” he said. “Typically, at least one person has an engine problem when we are out there.”

For more information on the Jasper County Remote Control Flyers, visit JCRCflyers.com.

198 Okatie Village Dr. Suite 105

Next To Sun City Food Lion

843.707.1750

CALAMARI NONNA ROSA $14

CALAMARI FRITTI $12

ANTIPASTO $18

BRUSCHETTA $9

EGGPLANT ROLLATINI $11

MOZZARELLA FRITTI $9

GLUTEN FREE FOCACCIA $5

ZUPPA DI FAGIOLI Our house made soup with white beans, spinach and cherry tomatoes $6

CREAMY POMODORO

Basil Soup $6

SPAGHETTI VONGOLE $23

SPAGHETTI COZZE $21

PASTA POMODORO $15

Open 6 days per week

Tuesday thru Sundays

Open 4:00PM to 10:PM

SPAGHETTI POLPETTE $17

RIGATONI SAUSAGE & PEPPERS $20

LA PUTTANESCA $20

MATRICIANA $20

GNOCCHI SORRENTINA $20

PAPPARDELLE BOLOGNESE $20

RIGATONI ALA VODKA $20

LASAGNA $20

MANICOTTI $20

GARDEN $5

CAESAR (anchovies available upon request, add $1.50) / $6

CAPRESE $12

PEAR AND GORGONZOLA $14

PROSCIUTTO & MOZZARELLA $14

ADDITIONS

Chicken $7 Shrimp $8

All of our entrees come with a side of angel hair pasta, gluten free options available.

POLLO PARMIGIANA $21

POLLO MARSALA $23

POLLO LIMONE $21

POLLO FIORENTINA $23

VEAL PICATTA $25

VEAL MARSALA $25

VEAL SALTIMBOCCA $25

VEAL PARMIGIANA $24

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA $21

SIDES

Pollo $7 Shrimp $8

Vegetable of the Day $5 Spinach $5

Sausage and Peppers $7 Polpetta $6

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