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The Beauty of Birds OLLI at Furman University
The field trips

The Nut House

A backyard bird oasis in Clemson, South Carolina

Two of the five class meetings were held here, in blinds built at the edge of a planted garden. The birds perch eight to twenty feet from the camera, which is what makes the place extraordinary for photography and what let a class of ten work with 300–600mm lenses in a single morning.

The class photographed here on September 9 and September 22, 2025. The Nut House was founded by Carl Ackerman, who built and maintains the blinds and the garden; more about the site at carlackerman.com.

Visiting
211 Blue Ridge Drive
Clemson, SC 29631
Approximately 45 minutes from the Herring Center at Furman University
Two blinds are in use: the Original Nut House Blind and The Hideout
Parking is available in the driveway
Please do not speed in the neighborhood
The blinds are not heated or cooled, so dress accordingly
Avoid wearing brightly colored clothing
The blinds

Where the class worked

The weathered board exterior of the Original Nut House Blind, framed by cedar trunks and driftwood
The Original Nut House Blind, seen from the garden
A green-painted blind with a sign reading The Hideout, set among bamboo and stone borders
The Hideout, the second blind
Carl Ackerman standing beside a river with a long lens and tripod over his shoulder
Carl Ackerman, founder and owner of the Nut House
In the blinds

Students visiting the Nut House for hands-on photo sessions

Four photographers seated in a row inside a blind, long lenses pointed through the window at a flower garden Photographers in the Original Nut House Blind beneath a signed beam, one waving at the camera Four class members with cameras and tripods in a green-walled blind, smiling toward the camera Two photographers looking out of a blind window onto the stumps and driftwood perches of the garden

See what the class photographed here

The Work →