2021 has been an exciting year for birds on Seabrook’s beaches!
- We welcomed back 4000-6000 Red Knots
- We have watched American Oystercatchers successfully raise 2 chicks
- There was the big announcement of 20,000 Whimbrel roosting on Deveaux Bank
- AND Seabrook Island Birders Shorebird Steward Program completed our first full year.
Our Shorebird Steward program is part of a network of steward organizations that protect shorebirds during their migration and monitor nesting sites all along the South Carolina coast.
Last week, South Carolina Audubon released their 2021 Coastal Stewardship report. The report compiles the experiences of stewards in 10 communities from Huntington Beach State Park in the north to Little Capers island in the south as they educated beachgoers and monitored nesting sites of Threatened and Endangered birds.
SC Audubon leads many of these sites and while our program, like Kiawah’s, is autonomous, we receive valuable training and advice from Nolan Schillerstrom, SC Audubon’s Coastal Program Associate and Alyssa Zebrowski, the Seasonal Coastal Stewardship Coordinator. Our other sponsors are SCDNR, USFWS, the Town of Seabrook and SIPOA.
Please enjoy reading the report. If you are a Shorebird Steward here on Seabrook, appreciate how your efforts fit into the larger picture. If you aren’t a steward yet, please come join us next spring. Don’t worry if you can’t identify plovers from sanderlings- shorebirds are challenging and we all learn something every day. We’ll announce our goals and training for 2022 in February.
All shorebird & seabird populations are in decline and your help is urgently needed.
Submitted by Mark Andrews
Share this:
SIB 