By Deanna Forsythe
During my 30 years of teaching elementary students, one of my favorite subjects to teach was science. Whether I was teaching children about animals, trees, flowers, weather, or rocks, I always found my students excited to learn. It was the hands-on projects that taught them the most. Like me, you probably have your own memories of hands-on science projects that taught you so much at an early age. The beautiful thing about adulthood is that our learning doesn’t have to end.
Upon my retirement and moving to Seabrook Island, I couldn’t help but feel the need to learn more about nature. What could I do to learn more about this beautiful island and the nature around me? After reading an article by Seabrook Island Birders in The Seabrooker, I decided to give birding a try, so I joined Seabrook Island Birders. Throughout the Fall, I enjoyed the backyard birding adventures and met some amazing people who taught me a lot about birds. It wasn’t until January, when I was attending The Birds of Prey presentation at The Lake House (which was awesome by the way), that I was asked if I would consider being a Shorebird Steward.
Basically, I knew that being a Shorebird Steward meant I was going to help to protect the shorebirds on Seabrook, but I didn’t know what to do, how to do it, or honestly even how to identify any specific shorebirds other than the sandpiper.
Last year, I attended a training session for Shorebird Stewards. There, I was surrounded by some “newbies” like myself and experienced stewards. The training session was led by Audubon South Carolina and members of Seabrook Island Shorebird Stewards.
I learned that the purpose of Shorebird Stewards is to educate people about the importance of our tiny piece of the world to the shorebirds that visit. “How charming is this?”, I thought. It was explained that “This is not an enforcement effort but an educational effort.” and I remember thinking “Everyone should do this!” What I liked most was that I didn’t have to know a lot about shorebirds. I was given educational materials to enhance my understanding of shorebirds, and I was going to be paired with someone who was experienced. “Well that’s easy!” All I had to do was sign up for a two hour shift and I could pick and choose the times I wanted to assist. I didn’t have to approach people. I was just to show up on the beautiful beach, be friendly, and meet curious people. Beach, birds, friendly people? Count me in!
I can report that this retired teacher learned so much about shorebirds in 2024. My favorite memory from the Spring was watching the Federally Threatened Red Knot population resting and foraging on Donax clams (coquina clams) here on Seabrook before their long journey north to breed. During the Summer months, I caught a glimpse of our American Oystercatcher “U5” who has been sighted for many years on North Beach. This Fall, I saw two of the federally endangered Piping Plovers resting on North Beach in the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources white sign protected area.
It’s hard for me to say what I like most about being a Shorebird Steward. Is it the friendly people and children visiting Seabrook Island who wanted to look through the professional spotting scope I learned how to use? Is it the comradery of other stewards who spent time with me on the beach protecting the shorebirds? Is it everything that I learned and will continue to learn about the shorebirds? All of this is true! Being a Shorebird Steward is giving back to Seabrook Island because these shorebirds need us to protect them. I won’t get into the statistics of how endangered many of these shorebirds are, but what I can tell you is that if you are looking for a hands-on experience and want to learn more about yourself and have fun in the process, sign up to be a Shorebird Steward. It’s easy. Just request more information on our link at www.seabrook island birders.org. Maybe, if I am lucky, I will be partnered with you on the beach in 2025.
Photos by Deanna Forsythe