“Remember that we are only visitors to this
world, so when out enjoying wildlife, take only
photographs and leave nothing but time.”
Breeding Pair
Phillip Kirkham
small existing population, widespread habitat loss and humanconnected threats as giving rise to the need for a plan to save the
species. Human activity, whether the disturbances that accompany
recreation on the beaches and waterways or the predators (raccoons
and feral cats), pollution and hardscapes (roads and sea walls)
that come with coastal development, are among the threats to
maintaining the oystercatcher population.
SCDNR is working with other organizations to study
the oystercatcher life cycle in an attempt to find solutions to the
challenges facing the oystercatcher population in South Carolina
and other sites along the coast. Felicia Sanders, a wildlife biologist
with the SCDNR has been quoted as saying: “Nests are pretty
rare on beaches that have houses or a lot of disturbances, and the
disturbances are only going to increase.”3 Efforts to protect habitat
for the oystercatcher will also benefit other species in serious decline
that share similar habitat requirements, such as the piping plover.
So, next time you see this standout species on a stroll along the
beach, enjoy these birds at a respectful distance. n
1
Schulte, S., S.Brown, D. Reynolds, and the American Oystercatcher Working
Female Nesting
Camouflaged Eggs
Group. 2007. Version 2.0. American Oystercatcher Conservation
Action Plan for the United States Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.
2
Short, Lester L., The Lives of Birds: Birds of the World and Their Behavior, 1993.
3
Simbeck, Rob, South Carolina Magazine, January-February, 2010 http://www.
scwildlife.com/pubs/janfeb2010/oystercatcher.html
Chick
Photographs courtesy of Pamela Cohen
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