Shorebirds at Harbor Island - Jenn Clementoni
A Global Journey Lands in the Lowcountry
Millions of birds. One critical stop.
Each spring, as we sleep under the stars of the South Carolina coast, something extraordinary happens above us. Millions of birds are in motion—flying, pushing their bodies to the limit, following ancient paths in the sky. For just a few short weeks between late April and mid-May, the skies over Beaufort County carry nearly 36 million birds making their way north.
Yes, millions. And many of them depend on us to survive.
BirdCast shows the migration patterns over Beaufort County – the total number of birds during this time frame is 34,697,200!
Small wings, long journeys
Two of these travelers—the Red Knot and the Whimbrel—are small, powerful birds that fly thousands of miles, often in just two nonstop flights from South America to the Arctic. By the time they reach our Lowcountry shores, they are exhausted and hungry.
They stop here for one reason: to survive.
Our beaches and marshes provide the rare food sources they need. Whimbrels scour the pluff mud for crustaceans like fiddler crabs, and Red Knots rely almost entirely on horseshoe crab eggs to replenish their energy. Nearly half of the remaining global populations of these birds stop here, in our back yard, to rest and refuel.
Deveaux Bank: Where the birds sleep
Off of Edisto Island, in the St. Helena Sound, sits Deveaux Bank—a shifting sand bar that changes regularly with the tides. But to the Whimbrel, it’s a sanctuary.
Each night during their time here, thousands of Whimbrels descend on this single sandbar, making it the largest known nocturnal roost for the species in the world. By day, they fan out across the Port Royal and St. Helena Sounds to feed, preparing for the next leg of their journey north.
Places like this aren’t just local treasures — they’re global lifelines.
Conservation Crosses Continents
When large scale properties like Gregorie Neck and Chelsea are protected, we aren’t just preserving Lowcountry landscapes, we are safeguarding global bird populations that depend on these places to survive. These conservation wins ripple far beyond our region.
Each spring, we host a field trip to Harbor Island, where protected dunes, tidal flats, and beaches fill with shorebirds. This year, despite stormy weather, we witnessed nearly 1,000 Red Knots, Piping Plovers, and Whimbrels preparing for their nightly trip to Deveaux Bank. Watching them take off at sunset is a powerful reminder of what’s at stake and how much impact we can have right here at home.
Whimbrels stay with us for only a few weeks, but those weeks can mean the difference between life and death. With your support, we’ll ensure they always find a safe place to land in the Lowcountry.
Together, we’re part of something bigger than our backyard. We’re part of a migration story that stretches from one end of the world to the other and lands right here, with us.
For more information on migration and the significance of Deveaux Bank, watch this incredible story from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.