MURRELLS INLET, SC (WBTW) – The shore birds we all share the beach with year-round are being threatened, and competition having to share the beach with us and our pets is one of the biggest problems they’re facing.
News13’s Sabrina Shutters took a ride with Interpretive Park Ranger Mike Walker Wednesday morning to the northern tip of Huntington Beach State Park to talk about why this shore bird population is being threatened.
“They’re rapidly disappearing, and not many people are taking notice of that,” said Walker.
The birds that you see walking and flying around the beach like the ones at Huntington Beach State Park could soon be no more.
“They’re part of our beach life, every bit as much as the sea turtles, which everybody knows and loves,” he said.
But, who’s to blame?
“One of the biggest problems that birds that use the beach are facing is basically just competition with us and especially our pets,” said Walker.
What’s special about these birds is that some of them have the longest migration of any bird on Earth, traveling from one end of the Earth to another.
“What makes that type of lifestyle possible is having places on the beach where they can rest and feed undisturbed,” he said.
Although continued rising sea levels are also an issue for the shore bird population, those letting their dogs off leashes is one of the biggest problems shore birds face.
It’s illegal in all state parks, including Huntington Beach, but Park Ranger Walker has to stop several folks a day whose dogs are running free.
“A lot of people don’t understand the damage that it causes letting their dog off leash. I mean, I’m sure you’ve got the nicest dog in the world, but the birds don’t understand that,” he said. “They see a dog running loose on the beach, they’re seeing a fox or a wolf. They’re seeing a predator that’s going to try and eat them.”
Park Ranger Walker says be aware when you’re on the beach, for the shore birds, like brown pelicans, black skimmers, willets, sanderlings and the other different kinds.
In the Spring and Summer, they could be nesting in the ground on the beach, and they blend in well.
“If you see a big flock of birds on the beach, maybe walk around them. You don’t have to walk through them. It’s just things that just take the tiniest little bit of effort,” he said.
Walker says it’s important to share the beach and keep your dogs on a leash if you do find yourself on the shore.
Huntington Beach State Park has also put out buoys and “Share Our Beach” signs along the beach as reminders to not disturb the birds.
