Meet Abby Sterling!

Danielle Sarmir | August 30, 2018 | Newsletters

Danielle Sarmir

Marketing and Communications Manager

Shorebird biologist Abby Sterling joined the Manomet staff in the spring of 2018 to lead the work on the Georgia Bight Shorebird Initiative. We sat down with Abby to learn more about the work that she’ll be doing for Manomet to address the known threats and identify emerging potential impact to the health of shorebirds and their key habitats in the Southeastern U.S.

How did you get interested in studying shorebirds?

I first discovered the incredible world of shorebirds when I was working as a naturalist guide on Little St. Simons Island, which is a small eco-resort on an otherwise undeveloped barrier island on the Georgia coast. While teaching island guests about all the different species that use our island throughout the year, and seeing how those compelling life histories can draw someone in who may not have even held binoculars before, I began to appreciate shorebirds in a new light.

Tired and hungry red knots that were feeding on the beaches in front of us had the ability to connect us to faraway places like Tierra del Fuego, or the Arctic tundra. And shorebirds accomplish remarkable feats! I was so impressed by their endurance-flying thousands of miles non-stop and by their toughness for nesting and raising chicks in extreme environments. Small bits of fluff that are able to survive a snowstorm on the tundra or the unyielding heat on the beaches of Georgia were so inspiring.

Abby banding American Oystercatcher chicks on Little St Simons. Photo credit: Phil Murdaco.

Abby Sterling

While working on the island I also had the opportunity to volunteer on ongoing projects with Georgia DNR and others including Manomet’s Brad Winn and Shiloh Schulte, and I think holding an American Oystercatcher during a banding effort was what sealed my fate. I pursued my graduate research project on nesting shorebirds on the Georgia coast, with a focus on American Oystercatchers and Wilson’s Plovers (working with Shiloh , among others) to help answer questions that could be applied to management to increase productivity. Additionally, within the state and region there has been significant effort and resources to increase success for Oystercatchers, but Wilson’s Plovers had been largely overlooked, in part because they are much more cryptic. I loved the opportunity to spend hours on the beach searching for nests, monitoring success, and banding chicks, but also found that applying my research to answer the questions posed by managers was extremely rewarding.

What makes the Georgia Bight a special place?

The first thing that has a huge influence on the Bight is geology and geography. The curved shape of the coastline from South Carolina, Georgia, and Northern Florida creates large differences between high and low tides, which means we have expansive areas of salt marsh, and extensive sandbars and mudflats that provide feeding areas for shorebirds. There are also many tidal inlets and places where large watersheds, like the Altamaha, empty into the ocean, which creates a very biologically rich environment. That leads to incredible resources for shorebirds throughout the year, in terms of invertebrates and other food resources, but also places to nest and roost.

From that perspective alone, it’s a unique place, but the human history of the Bight has also helped preserve this habitat. In both South Carolina and Georgia, a considerable amount of coastal property was privately owned by industrialists, either as hunting retreats or vacation spots during the late 1800s and into the 1900s. Over time some of this land moved into conservation as National Parks, like Cumberland Island National Seashore, or as state held land, like the Santee Coastal Reserve WMA in South Carolina. In Georgia, legislation protecting marshland was passed in the 1970s, which also limited development. This results in large swaths of undeveloped land, which is a striking contrast to some coastal areas in North Carolina and Florida.

A Whimbrel in the GA Bight

Lastly, there is a legacy of conservation within this landscape; people have dedicated their careers to working together for the protection of the Georgia coast. It creates a community that is highly collaborative and allows for great partnerships, which makes tackling daunting conservation challenges possible.

What are the challenges facing shorebirds in the Georgia Bight?

As with many areas, the Georgia Bight has some natural challenges like tidal inundation and predators that can reduce nest success for our beach nesting birds. Non-native predators, like coyotes, and human-enhanced populations of native predators, such as raccoons, have a negative impact on shorebirds as well. Additionally, despite having many areas that are difficult to access and relatively remote, shorebirds in the Georgia Bight face pressure from disturbance due to recreationalists, boaters, and pets. Unleashed dogs can be a huge issue for both nesting and migratory birds.

Other threats include loss of habitat due to development or to sea-level rise induced erosion, which has been projected to reduce nesting and feeding areas. Additionally, the loss of food resources due to habitat degradation, contamination or horseshoe crab harvest can negatively influence shorebirds in the Bight. Luckily, working within communities to educate residents and tourists will allow us to teach people simple steps they can take to reduce disturbance. Partnering and building collaborations with managers that are working to protect shorebirds and their habitat will help grow our capacity for large scale solutions. So using these tools, we can begin to address some of these challenges.

Why Manomet?

Manomet brings together partners from across the entire hemisphere for conservation, and has an incredible legacy of working with sound science and dedicated people to make a difference. Addressing the challenges that shorebirds face necessitates this wide-ranging, multi-faceted approach, and Manomet has built a reputation for making a difference. I am especially drawn to the way that Manomet helps supplement and recognize the work of partners, enhancing the impact of all those involved.

Programs like the Habitats for Shorebirds workshops bring together partners from different agencies, and help educate and implement real, on-the-ground changes– whether it’s helping land owners learn to manage impoundments for waterfowl and shorebirds, or teaching identification skills that leads to monitoring so that managers can better understand population dynamics and use at their sites. I feel very inspired and grateful to work with and learn from colleagues at Manomet who have worked tirelessly to build partnerships, engage with local communities and create positive changes that have directly impacted shorebird conservation. By applying the skills and lessons learned from other Manomet projects to the Georgia Bight Shorebird Conservation Initiative, we will be able to ensure that habitat is maintained and enhanced to continue to provide for the birds, wildlife and people that call the region home.