On the State of the Birds 2022 Report

The 2022 State of the Birds is an in-depth study on how our birds are faring across the United States. Under the umbrella of NABCI, the Committee of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, this report represents the collaborative effort between almost 30 federal and state agencies, wildlife and nature nonprofits and organizations. NABCI’s report examines the population and health of birds in the 8 habitats across the country and how climate change, wildlife management and environmental factors contributed to the increase or decrease in species’ health.

While there is some good news on recoveries in bird species’ populations, overwhelmingly the findings show that our birds are in peril – including many here in the Lowcountry. As our HHA President explains below, there are things we can do today to help our birds. To learn more about the NABCI‘s findings, explore the State of the Birds 2022 website hosted by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. You can also download a pdf of the report.

Letter from the President, published Ecobon Newsletter December 2022

State of the Birds 2022 and Thoughts on What We, Together, Can Do Locally

Hello Members,

It’s been a while since I’ve written a letter to HHIA members; the new State of the Birds 2022 report is compelling enough for me to ask for you for your ear again. 

You probably remember the startling reports published in 2020 about the bird population declining by 3 billion in the last 50 years.  While loss of habitat was presumed to be the primary driver of this unhappy news, follow-up studies were key to better answering the “why”.   The results have been recently published in the “State of the Birds 2022” report.  It’s no better news, but we have a more precise understanding for the causes of the declines, including which habitats that are most in peril, and the most and least impacted species.  This information gives us direction for taking action to stem this trend and gives me hope that we’ll (collectively) do something!

The big picture in terms of actions needed is no surprise:  If we take necessary steps to reduce the impact of climate change and develop focused environmental practices to help humans flourish (clean water & air for example), our birds will also flourish.  You could have guessed that, so now let’s get more specific about this.

This study looks at the status of birds grouped by 8 major habitats across the US: shorebirds, grasslands, aridlands, western forests, eastern forests, waterbirds, Hawaiian birds and seabirds. Breeding species – including shorebirds – are declining in all habitats except select species of waterfowl and waterbirds in wetlands, where 4 decades of focused environmental conservation investments have been made (think big things like the North American Wetlands Conservation Act leading the charge).  For each habitat, “tipping point” species have been identified to single out those experiencing big population losses.  The 70 tipping point species have collectively lost two-thirds of their populations in the last 50 years. 

There are lots of details in the report to chew on, and if you’d like, you can read those for yourself in this link:  https://www.stateofthebirds.org/2022/. 

For now, let’s focus on a habitat that’s near and dear to us and what we can do to make a difference: our coastal beaches.  There are 29 shorebird species in the U.S. and 10 have reached the tipping point.  As you probably know, many of these shorebirds, including most of the tipping point species, are seen on Fish Haul Beach.  The primary drivers of this dramatic population loss are habitat destruction and habitat disturbance.  Shorebirds make amazing migrations, from the arctic to the southern hemisphere and back, and need these crucial places to rest and feed along the way. When these resting habitats aren’t available or aren’t friendly to shorebirds, the birds suffer, and many don’t succeed in reaching their destination. 

There are things locally that we can do to impact habitat destruction, like opposing the Bay Point Resort development; you can read how HHIA helped this effort here.  HHIA also supported the passage of Beaufort County’s Greenspace Tax and you supported it!  This is another way vital lowcountry land will be saved from further development.

There are also things each of us can do to help minimize habitat disturbance.  If we could reduce the incidence of kids and dogs chasing resting birds on our beaches, we could make a difference today and every day.   We’re working on two actions to help our shorebirds and we’ll be reaching out to you soon with more information and ways to get involved. 

First, Education.  Audubon is working to put signs up at beach entrances to educate the public about letting birds rest and feed.  You may have seen a few of these already, the result of local kids’ art contests.  It’s a start.  Pointing these signs out to your guests and friends when you visit our beaches is an easy way to start discussions about the importance of our beaches to our shorebirds.

Second:  Dog leash laws.  We know that dogs love to run free on the beach, but also that keeping them away from resting and feeding shore birds during migration is crucial for their survival.  It’s a hard and sensitive issue to address, with strong feelings on both sides. HHIA supported the thinking behind Beaufort County’s more restrictive dog leash laws passed this summer, but now, with the Town of Hilton Head’s reversal of those laws, we are working to find a compromise, one that allows people to run their dogs on some island beaches but not others, particularly not where shorebirds are more likely be in large numbers.  Fish Haul beach is a particularly important shorebird resting area that previously had special, more restrictive leash laws. 

HHIAS wrote a letter to Town Council to help them better understand the issues surrounding the importance of leash laws and enforcement for our shorebirds, especially on Fish Haul beach.  Our local International Shorebird Survey team led this process by writing to the Town; several other concerned organizations are also likely to weigh in on this important matter.  Whether or not the Town adapts the laws to reflect this important conservation issue, HHIA, along with SC Audubon, will continue working on this compromise and on educating beach-goers and dog owners. Keep an eye out for our email on how you can join this effort to help save our shorebirds.

There are many other actions we can take to help our birds, but that’s enough ear bending for one read! 

In closing on a positive note, I would like to think that, now that we better understand the issues and threats to our birds across the U.S., we can find ways to help them.  Closer to home, I’m hoping we can find the kind of success story for shorebirds that Amber Kuehn and the turtle team found for our turtles.  

Happy Birding and Happy Holidays,
Kay Grinnell
President HHIA