Beachgoers and their dogs threaten nesting shorebirds on Georgia coast

Georgia beaches beckon not only locals and tourists, but also nesting shorebirds and seabirds and migrating species beefing up for long flights to the Arctic.

American oystercatchers, Wilson’s plovers and least terns use sites such as Little Tybee Island, Ogeechee Bar, East Beach on St. Simons Island, Cumberland Island and the southern end of Jekyll Island. Among other species, black skimmers, royal terns and gull-billed terns also nest on Georgia beaches, offshore sandbars and dredge spoil islands.

For these nesting birds, human beachgoers are a significant threat. So are their dogs.