Beaches are Habitat For Nesting

On U.S. Pacific coast beaches, nesting season occurs March through September.  During this sensitive period, birds must find a mate, establish a nesting site, incubate eggs, and raise young. 

Birds that nest on beaches are highly adapted to the shifting sands and sparsely vegetated environment.  Once able to move to different beaches for nesting when old ones eroded away, birds today have few alternatives due to loss of beach habitat caused by development, recreational activities, increased predator pressures, and invasive plants. 

Flightless chicks of federally threatened Western Snowy Plovers and endangered California Least Terns are particularly vulnerable to disturbances from off-highway vehicles, off-leash dogs, and other recreational activities.

Fortunately, managers, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, are actively protecting beach-nesting birds in innovative ways:

• Biologists monitor nests and young in many areas to determine breeding success;
• Educational programs are conducted to increase public awareness of beach habitat;
• Nesting habitat above the surf zone is often roped off from public use;
• Protective fencing, called exclosures, surround eggs to prevent disturbance and predation;
• Habitat restoration projects are used to increase the amount of beach and dune habitat and protect endangered plant life;
• Managing non-native and native predators of beach-nesting birds, nests, and chicks.

Beaches are Habitat For Resting

(add pac flyway image) Migrating between northern breeding grounds and southern wintering homes, millions of birds follow the Pacific Flyway - one of four flyways that span the Americas.  Like truck stops to truckers on a long highway, beaches and dunes are places where weary and hungry migrating birds can rest and refuel before continuing their migration along the Pacific Flyway.

With many bird populations in decline and human recreation needs increasing, human disturbance to resting and feeding birds on beaches is a growing concern.  Birds that are frequently disturbed by human activities may have reduced opportunities to forage and rest, which could have negative impacts on their health and survival.  By recreating safely on beaches, you can help reduce human disturbance to birds.

Once numbering in the thousands along West Coast beaches, there are now less than 2,000 Western Snowy Plovers (above) left from Washington to the Mexico-California border.  These shy shorebirds were declared federally threatened in 1993 due to population lows.  They depend on sandy beaches to nest and raise their young.

Snowy Plovers are often confused with Sanderlings.  Both small shorebirds that can be challenging to tell apart.  Longer-billed Sanderlings often feed in flocks, running and probing the wet sand.  ‘Snowies’ have sandy colored backs and dark markings on their face and breast.  Foraging plover-style, they watch for prey, then run and grab it with their tweezer-like bills

Get Involved!

• Join PRBO Conservation Science to support our beach bird monitoring, research, and education projects.
• Get to know a beach near you by attending nature walks and learning about beach wildlife and plants.
• Be a ‘citizen scientist’ with your local National Marine Sanctuary
• Support government legislation that protects coastal habitat.
• Help protect and restore beach and dune habitat. Contact your local state park, Audubon Sociey chapter , US Fish & Wildlife Service , or National Park Service  for volunteer opportunities.