2021 World Shorebird Day - Raising Awareness Globally

Grey Phalarope image on dinner plate;
Migrates to Coast of Ireland and UK

Growing up on a tidal creek in the Lowcountry gave this humble blogger the foundation of birding identification skills, learning the difference between wading birds and shorebirds for a start. Those same skills have now been applied over five decades living in the coastal plain of South Carolina, which is a quite prolific birding area, especially when you add in neotropical migratory songbirds. In 2014, the concept of a World Shorebird Day was born, and the message of global habitat loss affecting shorebirds is even more important today. 

The immediate coastline, and the food chain found therein, is often connected as it pertains to shorebirds. Beaches where nesting or resting can occur, are getting more pressure from human foot traffic, and in some cases from unleashed dog traffic. This has led SCDNR and others to establish 'No Go' zones on beaches to protect shorebird habitat. Shorebirds like the red knot and the whimbrel choose to stop along the S.C. coast from Harbor Island to Kiawah Island for the high quality coastline habitat. These birds are sometimes small and hard to identify, but their presence signals a healthy ecosystem.

To view past blog entries about Shorebirds click on 2014 / Inaugural World Shorebird Day - 2014 Moon Bird Book Review - 2015 World Shorebird Day - 2015 Manomet Workshop at Yawkey Preserve - 2016 The Narrow Edge Book Review - 2016 Spring Shorebird Synergy - 2017 Shorebird Symposium by Kiawah Conservancy - 2018 Shorebirds Talk at Seabrook Island Birders - 2020 Shorebird Protection on Botany Bay WMA