With people flocking to the coast, officials hope education and outreach can help efforts to share the sand with nesting birds and sea turtles.

As the weather warms, sun-seeking tourists aren’t the only ones drawn to North Carolina’s rich necklace of barrier islands along its 320 miles of coastline.

If you’re visiting the beach this summer, there’s a good chance you’ll see wildlife mixed in with visitors and the occasional resident. 

But sharing valuable beach real estate with nesting shorebirds and sea turtles can be challenging.

Mix in the loss of habitat on many islands to development, the growing risk from climate change, and the increased threat of disturbance tied to human activities, dogs and even predators and the odds are often stacked against the native fauna.

The eggs and chicks of nesting shorebirds often blend in perfectly with the sand, making it easy for people or pets to accidentally step on them. Getting close to the nests or babies can be just as bad, scaring the parents off and leaving the eggs and chicks at the mercy of predators and the summer heat.

That’s where groups like the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and Audubon North Carolina come in to help level the playing field.

Hundreds of signs ring the state’s coastal nesting sanctuaries from Currituck Sound in the north to Sunset Beach in the south, warning visitors to respect nesting areas. In some locations, including Wrightsville Beach, volunteers help reinforce that message.

Hope Sutton, eastern wildlife diversity supervisor with the wildlife commission, said education and outreach efforts are some of the most powerful tools officials have to raise awareness about the birds’ requirements.

PHOTOS: Bird watching in the Wilmington area

“It’s a critical component, whether its students at Wrightsville Beach Elementary making cute signs to warn beachgoers to stay out of the refuge or adults learning about these birds through one of our outreach activities,” she said. “Our behavior patterns can really impact the chance of success many of these birds species have.”

The helping hand comes as regulators worry about the future of some of the state’s shorebirds.

North Carolina’s 2023 waterbird survey, which is conducted every three years and is a collaborative effort among government agencies and environmental groups, showed substantial dips in the numbers of many nesting shorebirds. Among wading birds, that list included cattle egrets, tricolored heron, little blue herons, snowy egrets and glossy ibis. Beach-nesting species showing substantial declines included the common tern, gull-billed tern, and Caspian tern.

Another species that is in trouble is the black skimmer, with North Carolina’s population decreasing by half since 1999. Because skimmers nest directly on the open sand, they are especially vulnerable to disturbance and loss of nesting sites. 

But the survey wasn’t all bad news. Least tern numbers were found to be increasing, with many of the nests found on the beaches at the south end of Wrightsville Beach and on Lea-Hutaff Island in Pender County. Brown pelicans also are doing well, with 5,227 nests reported in 2023, well above the 15-year average of about 4,000 nests.

WHAT’S FLYING BY? Researchers go high-tech to track migratory birds along Pender County coast

Many of the shorebirds holding their own nest on spoil islands, like those in the Cape Fear River or Intracoastal Waterway, or on sections of protected natural areas like Masonboro Island that are hard to access.

But climate change is an unknown variable that could add to the pressure many species face. On low-lying manmade dredge islands, for example, rising seas and stronger tropical storms tied to warming temperatures could increase erosion and overwash threats.

“And the competition for sand is already tough and is likely to get worse in the coming decades,” Sutton said, referring to the limited nearshore sand resources and many coastal towns now seeking nourishment projects to boost their eroding beaches.

A warming climate also could prompt some birds to nest sooner.

Lindsay Addison, a coastal biologist with Audubon North Carolina, said learning to share the beach and knowing when to back away, such as when a shorebird starts acting irritated, can go a long way to help.

“Anyone who has lived down here for a while knows that there are more and more people now, and sometimes it’s really hard to anywhere along the coast and not run into a lot of people,” she said. “The birds also are experiencing that, and there are a lot of opportunities for people to disturb them and impact their survival.

“But if we just keep our distance and take some other steps, like keeping our dogs on a leash during certain times, it can make a really huge difference.”

Shorebird nesting season runs from March through mid-September.

Turtle time

Shorebirds aren’t the only ones looking to nest on area beaches. Peak sea turtle nesting season begins May 1 and continues through the end of October. 

Most local beaches are monitored daily during sea turtle nesting season to look for evidence of nests, which are then monitored and protected if needed during the roughly two-month incubation period.

While sea turtle nesting numbers have been showing increases in recent years, regulators and environmentalists warn the marine reptiles still face many threats − especially during the decades they navigate the oceans before females return to their birth beach to nest.

While on the beach, threats dangers include holes dug in the sand and left by beachgoers, which can trap hatchlings after they emerge from the nest, and bright lights from homes and businesses that can distract nesting mothers and hatchlings and lead them away from the ocean.

CONSERVATION WIN? NC sees record number of green sea turtle nests in 2023

Sharing the beach

Tips from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission on how to share the beach with nesting wildlife this summer:

• Respect the boundaries of the roped-off nesting areas
• Keep dogs on a leash
• Follow beach driving regulations
• Throw away trash properly, including fishing line and kite strings
• Don’t feed sea gulls or least terns
• Don’t fly drones or kites near nesting sites

Reporter Gareth McGrath can be reached at GMcGrath@Gannett.com or @GarethMcGrathSN on X/Twitter. This story was produced with financial support from the Green South Foundation and the Prentice Foundation. The USA TODAY Network maintains full editorial control of the work. 

North Carolina track and field teammates Will Coogan and Patrick Anderson, a little more than a year after a near-fatal car accident, made headlines with their performances Thursday in the College Men’s 5,000-Meter Championship at the 2024 Penn Relays.

The teammates finished first (13:52.60) and third (13:53.86), respectively, in the opening heat of the three-heat event at the historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia and went on to finish in those spots once the nearly 70 athletes had crossed the finish line.

Coogan and Anderson were two of five team members traveling to practice together, when the vehicle crashed and flipped, before coming to rest in a ditch. Both were seriously injured, with Anderson nearing dying from his injuries, which included shattering the bones in his face.

The lengthy recovery and rehabilitation process meant Coogan and Anderson both had to miss the cross country season in the fall, but they both showed Thursday night how far they’ve come. 

It was a huge statement at one of the world’s oldest and largest meets and a great gauge of their progress with the 2024 ACC Outdoor Championships just a couple weeks away.

The 2024 Penn Relays is the 128th edition of the event, which first was held in 1895. It now welcomes more than 15,000 athletes of all ages and skill levels (high school, college, Special Olympics, professional/elite and Masters).

Watch Will Coogan Win College Men’s 5000M Championship At 2024 Penn Relays

61 seconds over the final 400 meters for Will Coogan!@UNCTrack_Field‘s Coogan put a gap on the field to win the collegiate men’s 5,000m in 13:52.60.#PennRelays | @pennrelays pic.twitter.com/iJA7dNMggz

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) April 26, 2024

College Men’s 5000m Championship Results

1. Will Coogan (North Carolina) – 13:52.60
2. Hunter Christopher (Youngstown State) – 13:53.37
3. Patrick Anderson (North Carolina) – 13:53.86
4. Travis Martin (UConn) – 13:55.22
5. Micah Wilson (Wisconsin) – 13:55.87
6. David Vorbach (N.C. State) – 13:56.04
7. Samuel Whittaker (Central Connecticut) – 13:58.24
8. Taonga Mbambo (La Salle) – 13:59.56
9. Alec Sauter (UConn) – 14:03.89
10. Jack Gregorski (Princeton) – 14:04.69

How To Watch The 2024 Penn Relays

The 2024 Penn Relays is streaming in the United States on FloTrack and the FloSports app. Meet replays, highlights and breaking news will be on both platforms.

FloTrack Is The Streaming Home For Many Track And Field Meets Each Year

Don’t miss all the track and field season action streaming on FloTrack. Check out the FloTrack schedule for more events.

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A memorial service will be held Friday for former North Carolina Court of Appeals Chief Judge John C. Martin, who died earlier this month at age 80.

Martin died peacefully at his Raleigh home on April 9, according to an obituary from the Brown-Wynne Funeral Home working with the family. The funeral home said Thursday it had no information on a cause of death.

Gov. Roy Cooper ordered that North Carolina and U.S. flags be lowered at state facilities starting Thursday until Friday night in Martin’s honor.

A Durham native who attended Wake Forest University law school and served briefly on the Durham City Council, Martin was first appointed as a Superior Court judge in 1977. He was first elected to the intermediate-level Court of Appeals in 1984. He ultimately served on the court for more than 24 years, including 10 as chief judge from 2004 until he retired in 2014.

The chief judge oversees the administration of the 15-member court, whose responsibilities include assigning members to three-judge panels that consider cases and scheduling sessions for oral arguments.

Martin also had served as chairman of the North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission and president of the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal, according to the obituary. Martin’s court portrait was unveiled at the Court of Appeals in 2023.

Friday’s service was scheduled for Christ Church in downtown Raleigh, where he was a member. Survivors include his wife, five children and nine grandchildren, the obituary said.