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The shorebirds of Kiawah and Seabrook Island will finally have their time in the limelight with the First Annual Sea Islands Shorebird Festival which will be held at various locations on Kiawah and Seabrook on May 11 and 12.
The festival is a joint venture hosted by local government agencies and several nonprofit organizations. The purpose of the festival is to help bring awareness to the shorebirds that use the area for nesting and feeding at various times throughout the year.
Most notable is the red knot, who use Kiawah and Seabrook as a layover in their 9,000-mile journey from the bottom of South America to the Arctic, where they will nest.
Over the two-day festival, there will be a Birder’s Breakfast, several tours of the different areas where shorebirds frequent, a Red knot Reception and even a Feather Fest, which will have a family-friendly theme.
Bette Popillo, the Town of Kiawah Island’s Shorebird Stewardship program coordinator, said that her and many other shorebird enthusiasts dreamed of having this festival for many years and that they are excited to see it finally coming to fruition.
Popillo explained that this festival will help people who visit and reside on the Sea Islands understand the significance of the shorebirds they welcome back every year.
Together with the Town of Kiawah Island, the Seabrook Island Birders, Audubon South Carolina, the South Carolina Shorebird Project, the Kiawah Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, SCDNR and Manomet, the community was able to see the dream of hosting a shorebird festival become a reality.
She also mentioned that they are extremely happy with how the festival has been received so far. With just marketing done from the two government bodies and the nonprofits, they have sold out of many of the tours already and as a result, they added more.
A highlight of the tours will be the red knot shorebirds. Red knots exhibit one of the most impressive migrations of any bird, completing an annual 18,000-mile round trip journey from their breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic to their non-breeding areas in Tierra del Fuego each year. During spring migration (February to May), red knots depend on stopover sites along the Atlantic coast of the U.S to rest and refuel. One of those stopovers is the Kiawah and Seabrook area.
Also the area is unique because to the south is Botany Bay, which is not developed, and then there is the fact that both Seabrook and Kiawah are bookended by estuarine islands that SCDNR manages. Captain Sam’s Inlet is another productive ecosystem for shorebirds and has been identified as their preferred habitat.
Red knots will actually time their migration with the stopover here in the spring, dependent on the spawning of horseshoe crab eggs – one of their food sources.
Unfortunately, the red knot population has decreased 85% in the last 40 years. In 2021, scientists learned that 17,000 red knots depend on Kiawah Island during their journey. That means that 41% of the world population of red knots are coming to the Sea Islands every year. “That is quite significant for this declining bird. We are critical to their survival,” Popillo said. “Many of them will roost and Seabrook and come to Kiawah to feed.”
The reason for the decline in population is likely due to overdevelopment. Also, many birds may not want to feed on beaches full of people. “It could also be other issues like sea level rise, but human disturbance and coastal development are the likely culprits.”
The first night of the festival will focus on the red knots and the second night will incorporate information about other shorebirds. Along with the various tours, the Feather Fest will feature local artists, exhibitors, info from festival organizers, children’s activities and a food truck.
“What I hope people get out of this festival is to learn how lucky we are on Kiawah and Seabrook to even see these birds. A lot of people will never see them because they are long distant migrants, but we do. Having this event in May is like celebrating them back every year because that is around the time that they are here before they head up north,” Popillo explained.
The plan is to hold this festival every year and to expand to hopefully add another day of events. Popillo said that she is excited about the entire festival, but especially the Feather Fest. “It is just going to be so much fun and there will be so many activities going on,” she said.
For more information on the festival and to register for a tour, visit seaislandsshorebirdfestival.com.
