With spring on the doorstep, the Audubon North Carolina coast office is looking to recruit volunteers for the nesting season. If you live in the Cape Fear region or in Brunswick County and would like to donate some time to birds, check out the volunteer activities below. There are several different ways to get involved with coastal bird conservation, some requiring bird ID or other specific skills, and some that only need a love of nature and a few hours of time. Some of these activities could be developed into a summer internship, if a local student would like hands-on field experience. And, they provide people of all ages with a great excuse to get outdoors and enjoy coastal birds.

We'd love to have YOU on our bird conservation team!

If you would like to volunteer, please contact the Audubon North Carolina coast office at 910-686-7527 or e-mail Lindsay Addison at laddison@audubon.org.

Cape Fear Region

Wrightsville Beach Bird Stewards

For the past several years, a wonderful colony of beach-nesting birds has occupied the south end of Wrightsville Beach. In order to educate beachgoers and protect the birds from disturbance which jeopardizes eggs and chicks, we have been organizing volunteers to act as bird stewards. Stewards keep an eye on the colony and talk to beachgoers. This is a great job for a beginning birdwatcher, or any nature lover. You will not have to identify sandpipers! We provide materials and training, including loaner binoculars. If nesting takes place at the north end, we will need volunteers there too. Schedules are flexible (early mornings not required), and there is no minimum time commitment. Nesting begins in April and goes into August. Volunteers should enjoy talking to people and viewing cute Least Tern and Black Skimmer chicks.

Masonboro Island Oystercatcher Monitoring

This summer Audubon North Carolina is helping to monitor nesting oystercatchers on Masonboro Island. If you have your own boat transportation (kayak or canoe or motorboat), 2-3 mornings free a week, and an interest in birds, we could use your help! This would be an independent activity, though we’d provide training in locating oystercatcher territories and nests and help select the area you would cover. Volunteers would access the island on their own and walk a section of beach to look for nesting oystercatchers. Nests would be marked and re-visited 2-3 times a week until they failed or succeeded. Visits would have to occur in the morning to avoid overheating eggs or young chicks. This would help the Reserve gather new information that would not otherwise be recorded and be valuable to oystercatcher conservation efforts in the state. Oystercatchers begin nesting in April and can go into July. An individual or a small group could adopt a portion of the beach to help divide up the work. We can provide a spot to launch at the Center for Marine Science.

Masonboro Island Shorebird Surveys

The NC Wildlife Resources Commission is working with the USFWS and Manomet Bird Observatory to conduct shorebird surveys in the months of April and May. Audubon will be surveying Masonboro Inlet and Masonboro Island to about .5 miles south of the inlet, but the middle of Masonboro Island does not have coverage. Volunteers with a boat to access the island can help by agreeing to survey a portion of the island. Three high-tide surveys are needed from March-April. The same person or group does not have to do each survey, but the same area would need to be covered. Data sheets will be provided. Surveyors must be able to ID shorebirds and have a scope.

Brunswick County

Shorebird Surveys

The NC Wildlife Resources Commission is working with the USFWS and Manomet Bird Observatory to conduct shorebird surveys in the months of April and May. Since neither Audubon nor the WRC has staff stationed in the southern part of the state (Oak Island and south) getting coverage in those areas is challenging. If local birders are interested in conducting 3 high-tide surveys during those months, we can help get an area assigned to you. The same person or group does not have to do each survey, but the same area would need to be covered. Data sheets will be provided. Surveyors must be able to ID shorebirds and have a scope.

Nesting Bird Monitoring

Although there is not much nesting on these beaches, there may be some at the inlets. For example, last summer there was a small colony at the west end of Oak Island (Lockwoods Folly Inlet). If you visit these beaches during the spring and summer and would like to contribute your observations, either on a one-time basis or with recurring visits, the information will be helpful on several fronts. The WRC might be able to post nesting areas, if any are found, and Audubon and the WRC are continuing oystercatcher monitoring. Even if you can report there were no nesting birds, that information is helpful. Surveyors must be able to identify beach-nesting birds. A scope is helpful but not necessary.