By JAVIER GONZALEZ
Special to the PRESS
“World Shorebirds Day”, a yearly event coming up on its 3rd anniversary, is a global effort to raise public awareness about shorebirds, their ecology and life cycles, and the need for ongoing shorebird research and conservation.
Shorebirds, in a nut shell, are a varied group of birds found world-wide in the Order Charadriiformes, suborders Charadrii, Scolopaci, Thinocori, and Chionidi.These include; sandpipers, plovers, jacanids, snipes, curlews, lapwings, godwits, ruffs, dowitchers, avocets, thick-knees, coursers, and stilts. They are mostly associated with wetlands, but some are found in grasslands and even woods. They are defined by their skinny long legs, and long slender bills of different sizes and shapes fashioned to forage for specific food items in a diversity of substrates. Their diet is made up of aquatic insects, crustaceans, other aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, fish, some reptiles and amphibians, and even berries and plants at times. These are attained using a variety of techniques and behaviors. Most are highly migratory and have some of the most remarkable long-distance migration patterns between breeding and wintering grounds. They are very sensitive to habitat loss and disruption with some species suffering from population declines in the last few decades, making them a focus group for bird conservationists around the globe.
While the actual World Shorebirds Day date falls on Wednesday, September 6th, the key elements in the event are shorebird counts being coordinated in sites world-wide from Sept 2nd-6th. Groups all over the world will gather at coastal, saline, and freshwater wetlands, beaches, interior grasslands, Arctic tundra, and even flooded fields in a communal effort to find shorebird species and count as many individuals as possible. The count numbers will then be submitted to a global, citizen-science based, database (eBird), giving conservationists valuable data on the state of shorebirds worldwide.
The SPI Birding and Nature Center is excited to be among the many count sites from around the world taking part in this event. The SPI BNC makes for a perfect location to host a shorebird count because a good number of the bird species that use the tidal salt flats just south of the first stretch of boardwalk are shorebirds. Most of a visitor’s attention as they stroll down the boardwalk at the SPI BNC is naturally and inadvertently focused towards the larger and more obvious wading birds like the Great Blue Herons and colorful Roseate Spoonbills, as well as towards the impressive American Alligators. Shorebirds are easily and often overlooked as their general size, color, and behavior makes them a bit of a challenge to observe. So, it’s nice to celebrate a special day where we can give them some well-deserved attention and take the opportunity to help our visitors focus some binoculars or a spotting scope on them for a nice look. All while contributing towards their conservation.
Join us for a FREE family day at the SPIBNC Saturday, September 3rd, and enjoy “World Shorebirds Day” from 10am-3pm and discover the amazing world of shorebirds through viewing areas, the “Sanderling Game”, a “Build a Plover” craft, Identification and info posters, and by helping us count them! Stick around for a special shorebirds presentation in our theater room starting at 1:30pm. One of the facts that you will be amazed to learn is just where the little Sanderling that you often see being chased by waves on the beach goes to nest for the summer. What’s more amazing is that most of the time they are back probing the sand in coastal beaches around the world before we even notice they were gone.
Want the whole story? Pick up a copy of the Port Isabel-South Padre Press, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.
Comments