Sanders, F. J., Handmaker, M. C., Johnson, A. S., & Senner, N. R. (2021). Nocturnal Roost on SC coast supports nearly half of Atlantic coast population of Hudsonian whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus during northward migration. Wader Study, 128(2).

Key Ideas: Hudsonian Whimbrel, Deveaux Bank

This paper discusses the discovery of Deveaux Bank as a nocturnal roosting sight for upwards of  20,000 whimbrels, a shorebird whose population has seen a sharp decline over the past few decades.

One of the main points in this study is that it appears that there are a limited number of suitable sites for nocturnal roosting on the coast of South Carolina and Georgia, which are one of two key staging sites for whimbrel in their long distance/transnational migration. The importance  of creating a network of suitable sites is emphasized, especially since Deveaux Bank is an  ephemeral island, forming and disappearing over the decades with the secretion and erosion of  sand from the Edisto River and Atlantic coast. There is also a discussion of survey methods and  best practices for ornithological study, as well as a discussion of the importance of finding more  nocturnal roosting sights so they can be better studied, understood, and protected. Specifically useful for emphasizing the importance of our local bird sanctuary islands as crucial to the survival of many different species of shorebird, with whimbrel as the specific example used here.

Eggert, L.M.F., Jodice, P.G.R., & O’Reilly, K. M. (2010). Stress response of brown  pelican nestlings to ectoparasite infestation. General and Comparative Endocrinology, 166(1), 33–38. 

Key Ideas: Brown Pelican, Cape Romain NWR, Deveaux, Marsh Island 

This article has a limited scope, but generalizable insights. It focuses mainly on the corticosterone (stress response) levels in brown pelican nestlings, particularly in response to  ectoparasites (parasites that stay on the outside of the body). Although highly specific in terms of analysis, this article is a good place to start when looking for differences between nesting sites along the coast, as there are significant differences in resting stress levels between the two studied sites, which could help researchers in finding what makes certain sites better than others.

Tweel, A.W., D.M. Sanger, M.K. Chaplin. Guide to piping plover foraging habitats in  South Carolina: Geological, environmental, and prey availability factors contributing to  habitat utilization. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Marine Resources  Division. Charleston, SC. Technical Report No. 113. 17 p. 

Key Ideas: Piping Plove, Habitat ID

This guide helps identify different habitats that piping plovers use. It quantifies their quality and  possible use for this species of bird. It goes into great detail about the various coastal habitats that piping plovers are found foraging in and gives clear, picture examples of each type of  habitat, as well as easy-to-read charts that give brief descriptions of the characteristics of each. While the document is focused just on the Piping Plover, it could be used as a reference or  template for similar documents for other types of shorebirds of interest, as well as giving a  general idea of what kinds of habitats need immediate conservation attention vs those that are  more abundant and of less immediate intervention.

Wallover, N. J., Martin, M.-C., & Sanders, F. J. (n.d.). Monthly abundance and seasonal  spatial distribution of Shorebirds in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, South  Carolina. whsrn.org. 

Key Ideas: Cape Romain NWR, Bird Populations and Abundances 

This document contains general shore bird survey data from 2007 to 2010 for the Cape Romain  National Wildlife Refuge. It focuses on listing total and species-specific bird populations and  abundances seen during the survey period and describing the habitat and location of said surveys.  It briefly discusses methods used and suggests some possible protections for critical shorebird  habitat in the CRNWR. It also calls for more shorebird population and abundance surveys to be performed and suggests where it could be beneficial to do so. This is a useful document for  understanding what bird populations and abundances were like in the late 2000s and could be a good resource for comparison to see if shorebird populations are still declining or if they have stabilized or even begun to recover.

Weber, L. M., & Haig, S. M. (1996). Shorebird Use of South Carolina Managed and  Natural Coastal Wetlands. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 60(1), 73–82.

Key Ideas: Bird Migration, Managed Wetlands, Supplemental Habitats, Pre-2000s 

This article explains that, alongside natural mudflats and wetlands, managed, diked wetlands also have an important conservation role, particularly for shorebirds. It contends that managed  wetlands provide protective habitat during high winds and serve as a great supplemental feeding  habitat for some shorebirds, even being preferred by some species depending on the tide and time of year. It emphasizes that more managed wetlands should not necessarily be created, but  that current managed wetlands should change their flooding schedules to accommodate both  shorebirds and waterfowl, rather than just waterfowl. This article is from the mid-1990s, but it still serves as a good example of how shorebird conservation should include more than “pristine” locales.

Suthar, A. R., Biggs, A. R., & Anderson, J. T. (2025). A Decadal Change in Shorebird  Populations in Response to Temperature, Wind, and Precipitation at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA. Birds, 6(1), 14.

Key ideas: Hilton Head, Shorebirds, Population Trends, Climate 

This study focuses on the population trends of shorebirds, specifically in relation to climate  factors, from 2014-2024, mainly looking at 12 species consistently observed over that decade. The paper finds statistically significant declines in population for 3 of the bird species (Black bellied Plover, Marbled Godwit, and Willet), while statistically significant increases in population for 2 of the birds (Semipalmated Plover and Piping Plover), and non-significant trends for the remaining 7 species, which had a mix of increasing and decreasing.

When this data  was compared to climate data, specifically temperature, precipitation, and windspeed, statistically significant correlations were found between trends in the bird population and these  specific climate factors. The authors argue that“the strong relationships between meteorological  variables and species counts underscore the sensitivity of shorebirds to environmental  fluctuations.” Overall, this paper highlights some very important variables to consider in  shorebird conservation, as well as giving ideas on how to better maintain habitats on conserved lands to account for changing climate.  

Coastal birds in South Carolina - seabird sanctuaries. SCDNR - Coastal Birds in South Carolina - Seabird Sanctuaries. (n.d.). https://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/species/coastalbirds/seabirds/sanctuaries.html

Key ideas: SCDNR, all seabird sanctuaries in SC

This site and video serves as a great overview of the what and why of seabird sanctuaries. It does an excellent job of informing what birds use them, what islands are considered sanctuaries, and what some of the rules around these sanctuaries are. This is a great starting point for anyone who is curious about the meaning and value of a “bird sanctuary.”

Flyways. Manomet Conservation Sciences. (2025, August 21). https://www.manomet.org/flyways/

Key ideas: Flyways, WHSRN, multiple resources 8

This organization and its website offer a great overview of shorebird conservation and what Manomet does to protect flyways in particular. There are multiple brief summaries about some of what they do specifically to strengthen the flyways, as well as links to find out more specifics, including about the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. This is a good place to find out what some of the big names in shorebird conservation are doing right now and how you can help.

Arctic Shorebird Research. Manomet Conservation Sciences. (2023, July 17). https://www.manomet.org/project/arctic-research/

Key ideas: Long distance shorebirds, long term monitoring

This webpage explains, more specifically, some of the conservation and scientific activities that Manomet is involved in. The site describes their various long term monitoring programs, as well as providing links to other, related articles and newsletters, some of which can be found in this document as well. This site serves as a hub and a good place to interact with and learn about one of the biggest entities in shorebird conservation.

Vander Pol, S. S., Anderson, D. W., Jodice, P. G. R., & Stuckey, J. E. (2012). East versus west: Organic contaminant differences in brown pelican (pelecanus occidentalis) eggs from South Carolina, USA and the Gulf of California, Mexico. Science of The Total Environment, 438, 527–532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.08.055

Key ideas: Brown Pelicans, East Coast vs West Coast, Environmental Contaminates

This paper focuses almost exclusively on “organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs)” contamination in Brown Pelican eggs. Its 9

results could have wide reaching consequences, as similar trends (in terms of contaminant concentrations) have been observed in oysters and mussels, which have implications for human health as well. This article also provides an idea for what indicators to look for in terms of pelican health, which could be extrapolated onto less studied yet similar fish-loving birds. This article moreover can give policymakers a direction to go in in terms of specific chemicals to regulate. The article explains population trend differences in Brown Pelicans on the East vs West coast, but for our purposes, it can also serve as a template for examining contaminant trends. It serves as an important reminder of past conservation wins (banning DDT) while pointing policy makers and conservationists in a direction for future conservation efforts (PCBs).

Jodice, P. G., Murphy, T. M., Sanders, F. J., & Ferguson, L. M. (2007). Longterm trends in nest counts of colonial seabirds in South Carolina, USA. Waterbirds, 30(1), 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1675/1524-4695(2007)030[0040:ltinco]2.0.co;2

Key ideas: Brown Pelicans, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, 1969-2005, nesting trends

This paper examines the long term trends in the populations of 3 of South Carolina's most common shorebirds, doing so mostly through historical records and yearly studies done by other agencies. They found a positive correlation between Royal Tern and Brown Pelican nests, as they are often found nesting near each other. No such correlations were found with Sandwich Terns. In terms of populations, this paper found that Royal Terns and Brown Pelicans saw a steady decline in population, while Sandwich Terns saw a steady increase. While not explaining these trends, the paper offers several hypotheses for why this is, providing possible directions for future research. Overall, this is a very helpful paper for our purposes, but it would be nice to see a similar paper examining the trends seen in the past 20 years since this paper. This article is very detailed, although short, and has great suggestions for future research as well as potential conservation strategies that could be implemented.

Watts, B. D., Smith, F. M., Hines, C., Duval, L., Hamilton, D. J., Keyes, T., Paquet, J., Pirie‐Dominix, L., Rausch, J., Truitt, B., Winn, B., & Woodard, P. (2021). The costs of using night roosts for migrating whimbrels. Journal of Avian Biology, 52(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02629

Key ideas: Whimbrels, night roosts, Atlantic flyway

This article tracks a select number of whimbrels over several migration seasons using satellite tracking in order to gain a better understanding of the kinds of habitats that they use for night roosts. It has unique insights into the kinds of habitats whimbrels prefer, including when they are roosting in and near South Carolina. It offers key insights and could be used as a reference when deciding what habitats need protection. While limited in scope, this article offers unique insights into the night roosting habits of whimbrels and could serve as a model for future studies of other shorebirds.

Smith, P. A., Smith, A. C., Andres, B., Francis, C. M., Harrington, B., Friis, C., Morrison, R. I., Paquet, J., Winn, B., & Brown, S. (2023). Accelerating declines of North America’s shorebirds signal the need for urgent conservation action. Ornithological Applications, 125(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duad003

Key ideas: Population trends, 1980-2019, Atlantic flyway

This article aggregates multiple surveys over several decades to provide an extensive picture of the population trends of 28 different shorebird species. It serves as a good baseline for 11

understanding conservation challenges we are up against and where to begin in addressing them. This paper offers a number of ideas that could be used, including ways to calculate population trends and model them in the future. They found that most of the species surveyed were declining, especially in recent years. This article lays out clear trends in shorebird populations, despite the large margins in the estimates, making it clear that there is a decline for most species. This highlights the urgency to support conservation efforts and hopefully reverse declining population trends.

Smith, A. D., Sanders, F. J., Lefevre, K. L., Thibault, J. M., Kalasz, K. S., Handmaker, M. C., Smith, F. M., & Keyes, T. (2023). Spring migration patterns of Red Knots in the Southeast United States disentangled using automated telemetry. Scientific Reports, 13. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2741673/v1

Key ideas: Red knots, Northeast US, migration

This article analyzes the diversity in red knot migratory routes, focusing on their northbound routes when departing from South Carolina and Florida. It discusses some of the factors that affect what routes red knots decide to take when migrating, including tailwind direction. It also reiterates South Carolina as the final stopover sight for some red knots on their journey north, indicating its importance to the species, and possibly other species. This article is great for highlighting the need to protect a diverse swath of habitat for migratory shorebirds. In particular, it discusses the importance of protecting food species, like clams and horseshoe crabs, for the birds, alongside protecting their habitats. It could also serve as a template for similar tracking studies that could be done in order to see where shorebirds are migrating to, especially now that climate change is affecting their migration routes and destinations.

Pelton, M. M., Padula, S. R., Garcia-Walther, J., Andrews, M., Mercer, R., Porter, R., Sanders, F., Thibault, J., Senner, N. R., & Linscott, J. A. (2022). Kiawah and Seabrook Islands are a critical site for the Rufa Red Knot. Wader Study, 129(2). https://doi.org/10.18194/ws.00277

Key ideas: Red knot, Kiawah, Seabrook

This study uses a combination of direct count and geolocator data to analyze the importance of Seabrook and Kiawah Islands to the red knot. Their total count estimates line up with those of recent studies involving whimbrels on Deveaux Bank, possibly indicating other sites of extreme importance to long distance migratory shorebirds in South Carolina. This article emphasizes the importance of South Carolina to red knot migration, serving as evidence for needed conservation measures for not only sea bird sanctuary islands, but also on islands with high human presence.

Blanchard, A. (2025). Creation and Implementation of an Intensive Marsh Monitoring Protocol for Developed Marshlands in the State of South Carolina: A Case Study for Kiawah Island (Order No. 31994722). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (3215842764). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/creation-implementation-intensive-marsh/docview/3215842764/se-2

Key ideas: Dissertation/thesis, marsh surveying, marsh protocol, developed marshland

This thesis takes existing and recommended marsh research and monitoring methodologies, which have previously been used mainly on rural marsh areas, and tests their effectiveness on developmentally impacted marshland. In addition, the study added geospatial and remote sensing protocols and found them to increase effectiveness and heighten understanding of the studied marshland health. This thesis provides highly effective protocols to use when marshland health needs to be assessed. Due to this ecosystem’s importance to shorebirds, this could be very important for future research.

Gibson, D., Chaplin, M. K., Hunt, K. L., Friedrich, M. J., Weithman, C. E., Addison, L. M., Cavalieri, V., Coleman, S., Cuthbert, F. J., Fraser, J. D., Golder, W., Hoffman, D., Karpanty, S. M., Van Zoeren, A., & Catlin, D. H. (2018). Impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on body condition, survival, and site fidelity of nonbreeding piping plovers. The Condor, 120(3), 566–580. https://doi.org/10.1650/condor-17-148.1

Key ideas: Piping plover, anthropogenic disturbance, nonbreeding grounds

This article looks into the effects on survival outcomes that staying in non-disturbed vs anthropogenically disturbed nonbreeding grounds has for piping plovers. They found that body mass and survival rates were significantly lower in piping plovers that spend most of their time in more disturbed areas, while those that spent time in undisturbed areas had significantly better survival outcomes. While this study did not establish a true causal relationship due to the constraints and inability to control key variables, it attempts to fill a hole in established research (most research focuses on breeding sites, while this paper is focused on nonbreeding sites) and highlights a key point in shorebird conservation, which is that the best way to protect their habitat is to minimize disruptions to it, especially during key times of the year.

Sobocinski, K. L., Cordell, J. R., & Simenstad, C. A. (2010). Effects of shoreline modifications on supratidal macroinvertebrate fauna on Puget Sound, Washington beaches. Estuaries and Coasts, 33(3), 699–711. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-009-9262-9

Key ideas: Shoreline modification and armoring, Puget Sound, macroinvertebrates 14

This study from Puget Sound, Washington, looks at the effects that various types of shoreline modifications and armoring can have on macroinvertebrate diversities and abundances. While many of the samplings they took were not statistically significant, there was still an undeniable link between shoreline modification and macroinvertebrate diversities and abundances. This is important for us to consider for two reasons, one reason being that macroinvertebrates can serve as food sources either directly or indirectly for various shore and seabirds, and the other reason being that a new seawall has been approved for the Charleston peninsula, meaning that we may face the results of these effects soon. Alongside this, many barrier islands in SC use various shoreline modification strategies to help combat the natural erosion that takes place on these islands, so repeating a study like this one locally may yield important results. This article serves the purpose of reminding us of the importance of conserving the entire food chain involved in shorebird conservation, as well as warning of the consequences of shoreline modification.

Cushman, E. L., Fowler, A. E., Robinson, J. D., Walsh, R., & Darden*, T. L. (2019). Population structure and genetic diversity of spawning Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs (limulus polyphemus) along the South Carolina coast. Journal of Shellfish Research, 38(3), 655. https://doi.org/10.2983/035.038.0317

Key ideas: Horseshoe crab, South Carolina, genetics

The subject matter of this article is of high importance to shorebird conservation. The article looks at the “population structure and genetic diversity of spawning adult horseshoe crabs” along the South Carolina coast. This species, particularly their eggs, is a key food resource for many shore and seabirds, so getting a better understanding of their numbers, diversity, and distribution will be key in crafting effective and robust conservation strategies and legislation.