Kiawah Island Oasis:
A Critical Stopover Habitat for Migrating Birds
by Aaron Given, Town of Kiawah Island Wildlife Biologist
On a chilly September evening just after sunset, a Red-eyed Vireo takes to the sky from
deep within the northern boreal forest to begin a spectacular journey. After several nights of
travel, he will reach Kiawah Island where he can rest and refuel before continuing the next leg of
his arduous flight to his South American winter home.
Millions of songbirds migrate hundreds to thousands of miles every autumn and spring.
They do this to exploit resources that are seasonally abundant and avoid places where resources
are scarce or weather is harsh.
In 2009, the Town of Kiawah Island, in partnership with the Kiawah Conservancy,
initiated a bird banding program. The purpose of the program is to monitor both migratory
and resident bird populations on Kiawah Island. The Kiawah Island Banding Station (KIBS)
is located within a unique matrix of scrub-shrub and high marsh habitat on Captain Sam’s Spit
at the western end of the Island. The area is ideal for capturing birds because the narrow spit is
sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the Kiawah River, creating a natural funnel through
which birds can move.
Birds are captured for banding in fine mesh nets known as “mist nets.” When properly
deployed, the nets are virtually invisible to the birds. Birds are fitted with an aluminum leg band
engraved with a unique number that provides each bird with its own “identity.” Banded birds are
weighed and measured, and their species, sex, and age are recorded. If the bird is captured again,
valuable information such as migration patterns and timing, survival, longevity and population
distribution can be determined.
Banding also allows us to study the physical condition of migrants using barrier island
habitats. Scrub-shrub thickets and coastal woodlots, common on Kiawah, are known to be
extremely important stopover habitats for migrants that move through the Atlantic coastal region.
Fat deposits, which provide the fuel necessary for the demandi