45 Ocean Marsh Lane

Harbor Island · Beaufort County · South Carolina

A marsh-front house on the Atlantic Flyway.

A luxury five-bedroom marshfront house on a gated Lowcountry island, with sweeping tidal marsh at the back door. Painted buntings in the yard by April. Wood storks over the creeks all summer. Sleeps ten, and one dog is welcome.

Check availability Booked exclusively through TideWatch Vacations

45 Ocean Marsh Lane at the edge of the salt marsh, Harbor Island SC

300+

species recorded in Beaufort County, on the Atlantic Flyway

1 mi

to Hunting Island State Park and its 5,000 acres of forest and beach

2 mi

of dunes and sugar-sand beach on a private, gated island

Field notes

What you'll see, and when

The house sits between the Harbor Island lagoon and the Johnson Creek marsh, with Hunting Island State Park's five thousand acres a mile north and the ACE Basin an hour up the coast. Spring and fall migration move through the yard; winter belongs to the shorebirds.

Spotting scope, two pairs of binoculars and the Sibley guide stay in the hall closet. Coffee is on by five-thirty if you ask.

Mar – May

Painted bunting, whimbrel, black-necked stilt

Buntings arrive at the feeders in the first week of April.

Jun – Aug

Wood stork, roseate spoonbill, black skimmer

Storks and spoonbills work the lagoon on a falling tide.

Sep – Nov

Warbler migration, marbled godwit, reddish egret

The best month is October, when the marsh empties out.

Dec – Feb

Piping plover, northern gannet, oystercatcher

Wintering shorebirds on the sandbar; gannets diving offshore.

The house

Five bedrooms, five baths, sleeps ten

Upper living room with marsh and ocean views, binoculars on the side table

Upstairs sitting room with the spiral staircase to the widow's peak loft and doors to the porch

Guest bedroom with a private ensuite bath

Primary bedroom with sitting area, opening to the ensuite bath

Primary bath with freestanding soaking tub beneath a chandelier

The house from the driveway, palms and brick paving, with the marsh visible beneath

Bedrooms

Baths

Sleeps

Interior

3,370 sf

Living areas

Two

Sleeping loft

Two twins

Bonus room

Sleeper + bath

Dogs

One, with fee

The island, and what's near it

Harbor Island is private and gated, reached by the Sea Island Parkway between Beaufort and Fripp. Two miles of beach, a community pool and tennis, and almost nothing else — the island's own conservation easements keep the interior in maritime forest and lagoon.

Salt marsh, tidal creek and the Sea Island Parkway causeway north of Harbor Island

Across the marsh toward the causeway and Hunting Island

Hunting Island State Park

Lighthouse, lagoon boardwalk, and the best warbler fallout on the coast.

1 mi

ACE Basin NWR

Basin-wide refuge at the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto — impoundments full of waders.

45 min

Donnelley & Bear Island WMA

Managed wetlands; wintering waterfowl and rails in numbers.

50 min

Downtown Beaufort

Antebellum waterfront, oyster suppers, and the marina for creek charters.

20 min

Fripp Island boat landing

Kayak the Johnson Creek marsh at high water.

5 min

Savannah / Hilton Head airports

Both an easy drive from I-95 for East Coast arrivals.

1 – 1.5 hr

Reservations

Booked through TideWatch Vacations

TideWatch handles the calendar, rates, and every arrival. Rental weeks run Saturday to Saturday in season; shoulder-season stays for birders are often available by the night.

View dates & rates at TideWatch 843-838-4001 Guests must be 25 or older. One dog permitted with a $150 non-refundable fee. Parking for three vehicles; the island requires a gate pass, purchased through TideWatch after booking.