Managing Bird Use and Public Use
A Balancing Act
People are not the only visitors to Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Over 400 species of birds have been sighted in the park. Some of these birds can be seen year round. Many spend only summer or winter seasons here. Thousands of shorebirds pass by during spring and fall migrations between North and South America.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore plays a vital role in the survival of many birds. Be it for nesting, resting or feeding, the park provides for a diverse assemblage of birds. Rich, varied habitats and locations along the Atlantic Flyway contribute in attracting birds to our shores. In 1999, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore was designated as a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy in recognition of the value that the park provides to bird migration, breeding, and wintering.
Each spring, the beaches are alive with thousands of courting birds returning from their wintering areas. Least, Common and Gull billed Terns along with Black Skimmers are colonial nesting waterbirds. After claiming territories, large flocks nest on the open sand. Mere depressions in the sand, the simple nests are well camouflaged. In 20 days or so the two or
three speckled eggs hatch. Dependent on their parents, pale downy chicks feed on small fish brought back to the nest. Within a month's time, young that have grown strong, survived storms, and escaped predators will fly over the waters in search of food on their own.
Much of the nesting season's success depends on people. Park visitors and birds use the same beach. When vehicles, people or their pets enter nesting colonies, eggs and chicks can be scattered or crushed. Adult terns and skimmers chase intruders leaving nests unguarded. Watchful crows and gulls can then easily raid nests. Unattended eggs and chicks often succumb to heat or cold.
Historically many waterbirds fled the beaches to escape increased human disturbance. They 
retreated to small soundside islands created from dredge material excavated from navigational channels. By the late 1970's, erosional forces and changes in dredging practices had whittled away much of these refuges, leaving no choice for the birds but to return to ocean beaches.
To minimize human disturbances, park rangers and biologists seasonally protect sections of beach used by colonial nesting birds. Signs and symbolic fences are erected around all colonies. These remind beach users they share the shore with native wildlife and should not venture inside posted areas. All birds that utilize habitats in the park are protected species and violating posted closures or harassing these species can result in fines and imprisonment.
The National Park Service also posts areas around individual nests. Some beach birds are more solitary, preferring not to nest near others of their own species. One such species of special concern is the Piping Plover. Due to human disturbance and habitat loss, populations have decreased dramatically throughout their range, necessitating protection under the Endangered Species Act. Eggs, speckled like sand, laid directly on the ground and tended by pale buff colored adult plovers make for excellent concealment. After hatching, the chicks leave the nest following parents in foraging for worms, insects and crustaceans plucked from the sand.
Biologists have found that populations of many species of shorebirds are declin-ing sharply throughout the animals' natural range. Loss of habitat and human disturbance are usually cited as causes of the decline. Populations of predators such as crows, gulls and feral cats have increased due to human activities. Ground nesting birds make easy prey for these animals. A better understanding of these complex and often interrelated pressures is needed to successfully protect nesting birds.
Since 1989, piping plovers have been monitored at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Researchers have spent long hours locating breeding pairs, observing nesting activities and tracking young. An average 12 to 15 nests are found annually, but in recent years the number of nests has declined dramatically. In Year 2000, only 5 nests were found. Few of the chicks survive to fledgling age of four weeks. Though it is not entirely understood why survival rates of plover chicks are low, predation and high frequency of summer storms are known contributing factors.
Migrating shorebird populations have been studied in the National Seashore. Researchers have provided us with information on the birds' seasonal abundance and distribution. Effects of human disturbance on shorebird behavior has been monitored. As a result, the National Seashore has placed more emphasis on protecting these long distance migrants. Each spring and fall, beach closures are established at specific sites to provide the birds with undisturbed habitat for feeding and resting. Look for and respect signs which let beach users know that important bird activity is currently in progress.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore, mandated to protect the natural resources within the park so that future generations may enjoy them, seeks to balance the concerns of people, who wish to recreate in the park, with the requirements of native wildlife that need this essential habitat for survival. Only by acquiring knowledge and understanding of the resource, implementing wise protective measures and receiving visitor cooperation can the resource be managed to fit the needs of all visitors, both human and those on the wing.
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