An outing to Sand Island, a small barrier island off the Alabama Gulf Coast near Dauphin Island, turned deadly for hundreds of shorebird eggs when beach volleyball players apparently set up a court in the middle of an active bird nesting colony — without realizing they were doing it.
What Happened
A Birmingham Audubon surveyor, Andrew Haffenden, was conducting a bird survey on Sand Island over the Fourth of July weekend when he discovered the damage. The birds — least terns and black skimmers, both protected species — make their nests directly in the sand and depend on the eggs and chicks being left undisturbed. When beachgoers established a volleyball court within the nesting area, they either displaced eggs or chased parent birds from their nests, exposing the eggs to the brutal summer sun and killing the unhatched chicks. Based on the size of the nesting colony and the area disturbed, biologists believe the total number of lost eggs likely numbered in the hundreds.
Understanding the Impact
Least terns and black skimmers are ground-nesting shorebirds that rely on open Gulf Coast beaches to raise their young. Parent birds sit on eggs during the day to provide shade and regulate temperature. When adults are flushed from nests — either by activity or physical disruption — temperatures on a July afternoon in Alabama can destroy an entire clutch in a matter of minutes. Biologist Katie Barnes of Birmingham Audubon noted that the damage was significant and that the full toll may never be known, because once eggs overheat in the direct sun, the embryos inside die quickly.
A Swift Response
After the discovery, Birmingham Audubon worked quickly to rope off the nesting area, posted signage alerting visitors to the active rookery, and coordinated with local authorities to manage public access to the site. Since the barriers and signs went up, the nesting birds have been left alone and some colonies have continued to breed successfully.
The incident highlights a recurring tension on barrier islands along the Gulf Coast: these sandy offshore habitats are popular recreational destinations, but they also serve as critical nesting habitat for sensitive beach wildlife, and visitors — especially during peak summer travel season — don’t always know they are walking through or across an active colony of birds.