Millions of people and birds share U.S. beaches throughout the year, especially in summer. During hot weather, humans flock to the shore to celebrate holidays with fireworks and barbecues, while birds like American Oystercatcher, Black Skimmer, Least Tern, Snowy Plovers, and Wilson's Plovers gather to forage and raise their young. In the winter, there’s lots of overlap between folks enjoying the beach and nonbreeding shorebirds. With so many individuals of various kinds wanting their own place on the beach, things can get crowded.
The competition for space with people can stress out birds, and nesting birds even more, but there are ways to safely share the beach.
Get even more tips from American Bird Conservancy here: abcbirds.org/ShareTheShore.