In the Next Issue …
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To stand at the edge of the sea , to sense the ebb and flow of the tides , to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh , to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of years , to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea , is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be .” — Rachel Carson
Who does not love a shorebird ? We are Kiawah people . We walk our beaches , and as we do , we see little brown birds working the ocean ’ s edge all day , every day . We may not know their names , but we admire their work ethic . We watch pelicans flying in formation , and we stop to be sure to see the capture of a fish as they swoop down . We have learned about the amazing journey of the red knots and are grateful every spring when they return . Their story is compelling to us because the place we call home or love to visit is important to these birds who fly almost 18,000 miles every year . We are privileged to host piping plovers who are declining in numbers but choose to visit Kiawah Island every spring and fall . We can tell a skimmer from an American oystercatcher and are happy to point each of them out to our families and visitors .
We may have come from places where we cannot tell a robin from a crow , but when we arrive on Kiawah ’ s shoreline , we succumb to the fascination of the feathered population that works there all day long .
In our next issue we take a long and enthusiastic look at the “ Shorebirds of Kiawah Island .” Undoubtedly we will include information about the habitats that support them , and we will also feature a few of our feathered Island neighbors who frequently visit the edges of our ocean . Not coincidentally , we are also planning our next symposium for the fall of 2017 . The topic : “ The Shorebirds of Kiawah Island .” Join us for Naturally Kiawah in September and our symposium in the fall . We hear the call of our shorebirds ! NK
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