South Carolina Department of Natural resources is celebrating a successful nesting season for seabirds and shorebirds. The beaches that are critical for these nesting seabirds are also places were people enjoy recreational activities. To allow the birds to nest and raise their chicks undisturbed, portions of several of the islands were closed temporarily to provide added protection during the nesting season. This respite from disturbance by people and recreational vehicles allowed seabirds to thrive. A statewide survey of seabird on both federal and private islands netted biologists 4,701 Brown Pelican, 7,808 Royal Tern, 2,812 Sandwich Tern nests, and 800 Black Skimmer nests in South Carolina.
