Bird Island Reserve

The dedicated stewards at Bird Island Reserve on Sunset Beach have done a wonderful job of preserving this place. Their guided walking tours (recommended for ages 6 and up) are educational, interactive, and thought-provoking. Bring a camera; you may get to see some wildlife! An excellent outdoor classroom perfect for learning about watershed processes and conservation. JuniorStewards.org approved 🌱

We stopped here as part of a dolphin tour. Our stop was quick but from our short time here could tell it was a very beautiful and fun place to explore. I would like to go back to see you more of the reserve. My daughter's highlight was finding a tiny crab running along the sand

This was our second visit to the reserve and we enjoyed it very much. The biggest impediment to visiting is finding parking at the west end of W Main Street where there are four regular parking spaces plus two handicap spaces. Once on the beach, it's about 1.25 miles to the nature trail, but it's worth the walk. It was quite windy when we were there and we had no problem with insects. Parts of the trail can be a little wet and anyone with mobility issues may have a hard time on parts of the trail. We heard many and saw two painted buntings, which is what we were hoping to see. There are other birds, of course, and it's a nice, quiet walk through a beautiful, natural habitat.

I’ve been wanting to go to Bird Island at Sunset Beach, since I read about the Kindred Spirit mailbox in the Nicholas Sparks book “Every Breath”. It did not disappoint. The walk was about 1.5 miles from the end of the road. Such an amazing experience to write in the kindred spirit journal. Another few steps more and you reach South Carolina. One second I was on a North Carolina beach and the next I was on a South Carolina beach. A must see! The beach was quiet and serene. Not a lot of people.

One of the great beaches in N.C. Bird Island is conjoined with Sunset Beach. This beach is a reserve sanctuary for birds and sea turtles. You can swim and Sun bath here as well as anchor you boat in the inlet waterway area. Bird Island is also home of the Kindred Spirit Mailbox and has a trail loop inside the dune area. Visit the lower area at the waterway inlet to watch boats go in and out for fishing, site seeing, casino cruises.