Topics Where We Work Coasts and Oceans

Coastal Stewardship

royal tern in flight
Huguenot Memorial Park Adapts to Protect Nesting Birds
April 29, 2026 — Partners come together to protect beach-nesting birds during the busiest season of the year.
FLORIDA
women holding least tern decoys and standing on a beach
Girl Scouts Band Together to Protect Sea and Shorebirds
April 29, 2026 — Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, where people and wildlife compete for the same narrow ribbon of sand, conservation success begins with collaboration. At Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, four determined middle school Girl Scouts started a new conservation chapter for the region’s vulnerable sea and shorebirds.
FLORIDA
inforgraphic showing 2025 nesting successes
A Banner Year for Nesting Birds on Florida’s Beaches
April 29, 2026 — While Florida communities continue to recover from hurricanes, coastal habitat conditions have improved for sea and shorebirds. Why? The storm surge and winds tore out vegetation, leaving large expanses of bare sand, perfect for nesting. A lack of hurricanes this year meant birds nesting in the newly exposed areas could successfully fledge without contending with excessive waves, wind, or water, showcasing how resilient they can be without human disturbance and development.
FLORIDA
Wilson's plover on the sand
Celebrating a Great Year for Wilson’s Plovers
April 29, 2026 — When multiple hurricanes and storms in 2024 rearranged habitats across the Gulf Coast, the resulting expanses of bare sand created ideal conditions for beach-nesting birds, especially Wilson’s Plovers.
FLORIDA
A Wilson’s Plover stands in profile facing its chick, which is less than half the adult’s size. The two birds with their white and light brown plumage appear to huddle together on the beach, as blurred bright green grasses form a wall behind them.
Shorebird Stewardship Report 2025
April 17, 2026 — South Carolina Shorebird Stewardship
SOUTH CAROLINA
A person with a sign on a beach
A Day in the Life: Shorebird Program Manager
April 03, 2026 — Protecting sea and shorebirds at their nesting sites relies on the community.
FLORIDA
American Oystercatcher chick close up, peering into the field camera.
American Oystercatcher Camera Project Captures Predators, Disturbance
March 30, 2026 — What is causing nests to fail? The answers include foxes, cats, and people.
NEW YORK
A black-and-white seabird with chick
Look Out for Nesting Coastal Birds on Bay Area Beaches
March 25, 2026 — Sea and shorebirds are vulnerable to human disturbance during the spring and summer breeding season.
FLORIDA
graphic showing an oystercatcher next to a chick in an egg with the words "be a good egg"
Be a Good Egg: Share the Shore
March 20, 2026 — Working together, we can safeguard a successful breeding season for beach-nesting birds.
FLORIDA
Two small shorebirds on a beach
An Unexpected Meeting Made Possible by Bird Banding
March 16, 2026 — Audubon Florida Coastal Biologist records North Dakota Piping Plover on Florida island.
FLORIDA