SCDNR keeping close eye on bird species, habitats following Debby aftermath

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Wildlife biologists are keeping a close eye on special bird species and their habitats following recent storm surge.

Janet Thibault, an expert with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, says rough weather can often bring rough waters to the Crab Bank shoreline. Those effects can often be both positive and negative on the animals who nest there, especially following storm Debby.

“It dumped a ton of rain on the Lowcountry, and sparked vegetation on Crab Bank. There’s a lot of plants growing now and proliferating over the island to help stabilize it and give it some vegetative cover,” Thibault says. “We’ll probably see some different species colonize the island next year.”

During Idalia, which hit the Lowcountry as a tropical storm in August 2023, more than 500 baby birds, oyster catchers and black skimmers fled for new territory.

Prior to this year’s storm, the department marked 82 fledglings, some which have left the nest. Total numbers still sit around an estimated 500.

The department can track those numbers and where they go by putting special bands on select birds.

“With the coast changing, more frequent storms and stuff, there is gonna be need for more refuge for birds and protection for the coastline, too,” Thibault says.

Crab Bank is a 32-acre bird sanctuary created in 2021 with the help of the Army Corps of Engineers, conservation nonprofits and several community outlets. The area has come to serve other animals too, including horseshoe crabs and pelicans, because of its isolated nature.

It is a replacement sight for a former sanctuary that now sits underwater, marked by yellow and red flags. The new sight sits just outside of the Shem Creek Marina and Charleston Harbor. Thibault says this is a project which took at least two decades of planning.

“We didn’t know what to expect. The birds found it right away. The first day the dredge pipe was spilling out material, there were gulls and skimmers loafing on that little pile of sand. they were waiting on that island to get built,” Thibault says.

Crab Bank is designated as a “Important Bird Area,” meaning it helps to identify sites providing vital habitats for birds. It is off limits to the public during nesting season, which comes around from March 15 to October 16 every year.

Thibault says the animals who flourish there need minimal human disturbance, which is why it is important to keep off the sand.

“There are only five or so islands in the Lowcountry where the birds are able to safely nest. It’s really important to protect them,” Thibault says.

The department plans to continue tracking survivorship and recruitment of these species in the years to come.

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