Rare sighting: thousands of shorebirds

A state biologist and a research team confirm that about 20 thousand shorebirds (whimbrels) roosted at night on a small coastal island during their spring migration.  The team documented the May 2019 sighting and saw similar numbers again in 2020.  The single flock included nearly one-half of the declining shorebirds’ estimated eastern population.  And that, according to the South Carolina DNR, was a staggering spectacle.  The findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Wade Study.  Whimbrel are large, striking shorebirds known for their down-curved bills.