Least Terns, Common Terns, Gull-billed Terns, Black Skimmers, Piping Plovers, Wilson’s Plovers, Willets and Oystercatchers all can be found nesting on North Carolina beaches.

Human disturbance is one of the greatest threats facing beach-nesting birds.

Audubon is working to protect critical nesting sites along North Carolina's coast.

Protection for
Beach-nesting Birds

A day at the beach is a vacation for most people. Some folks, thousands actually, work and save all year so they can bask in the sun, swim in the warm ocean waters, catch a fish from the surf, or just stroll down the strand. However, the ideal vacation can be a life or death struggle for several species of birds that nest on North Carolina’s beaches.

Believe it or not, birds do nest on the beach. They literally nest right out on the open, bare sand and often in the vicinity of inlets and capes. The nest of a some terns and plovers can be as small as a tea cup and nothing more than a shallow depression in the sand, the same sand that will burn your feet as you search for a place to lay your towel and chair. The eggs, perfectly camouflaged to blend in with sand and bits of shell, can be easily overlooked by casual observers.

As the number of people along North Carolina's coast has increased dramatically, so have the threats to birds that nest along the coast. Disturbances have caused the abandonment of entire colonies and have contributed significantly to the decline in the number of terns, skimmers, and plovers.

People that visit the beach are usually well-meaning folks that are just looking for a place to spend an enjoyable day. Most often they are unaware that birds are nesting nearby on the wide, open and bare expanses of sand. Likewise, they are usually unaware that, by walking through the nesting area, they harm the eggs or chicks that may be present. It only takes minutes for chicks or eggs to die under the heat of the summer sun.

Nesting sites are often marked with signs stating the presence of nesting terns, plovers, or colonial waterbirds. The signs warn beachgoers to not enter sensitive nesting areas under penalty of state and federal law. Most often, rope or line is strung between the posts, which usually encircle the nesting site, further emphasizing that trespassing is prohibited and directing vehicle and foot traffic around the nesting site. And lastly, these nesting sites are patrolled by Audubon Wardens, Park Rangers and Wildlife Enforcement Officers.

Some nesting areas may not be posted, but there are several clues that will indicate the presence of nesting birds. From April to September, nesting activity may be indicated by adult birds standing or sitting on the beach strand or near dunes, adults engaged in courtship displays, broken wing or injury displays, adult birds attacking or dive-bombing people or pets, adult birds immediately returning to the same spot after being flushed, adult terns or skimmers carrying fish, the presence of nests or nest scrapes, or the presence of eggs or chicks. If any of the above are observed, then one should move away immediately to prevent the loss of nests, eggs, chicks or the abandonment of the nesting site.