The Chincoteague Oystercatcher Project
Photo: Randy Reed
Human Disturbance
Human disturbance is one of the top threats to shorebirds. Most shorebirds have low tolerance of people, so high levels of human disturbance can lead to abandoned nests; force birds into lower quality habitat; or prevent birds from fully using a habitat.
For migratory shorebirds, human disturbance can be detrimental to their survival. For example, Red Knots stopover at Chincoteague on their 10,000+ km journey from their wintering grounds in South America to their Arctic breeding grounds. They are on low energy reserves, and need to spend all of their time resting and foraging. But human disturbance can cause them to waste energy fleeing from people, and push them into lower quality foraging habitat.
Photo: Randy Reed
Assateague Island Parking Lot Relocation
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island, Va., U.S.A. is an important migratory stopover and breeding site for shorebirds including American Oystercatchers, Piping Plovers, Red Knots, Whimbrels, Sanderlings, and Ruddy Turnstones. More than 1.2 million people visit the refuge annually, with off-sand vehicle driving and pedestrian public beach use overlapping with shorebird use. Recreational beach access to 6 km of beach is supported by a 1,000 car parking lot. The refuge received $18 million to relocate the parking lot and the associated human disturbance 2.4 km north to an area with low shorebird activity. Construction to move the parking lot began in 2025 and is planned to be completed in 2026.
American Oystercatcher nesting amid
the beachgoers on July 4th.
Arrow indicates nest.
Photo: Ken King
American Oystercatcher chicks crossing the parking lot.
Why the parking lot is being moved?
Hurricane Erin in 2025 shows the motivation for moving the parking lot. Large storms can wash away the parking lot. More than $8 million have been spent in the past two decades to put the parking lot back in the same spot. The new parking lot will be set back behind dunes to improve the coastal resiliency of the infrastructure against storms and sea level rise.
Our Research
This presents a rare opportunity to do a before-after-control-impact study to monitor the effects of relocating the parking lot and associated human recreational activities on shorebirds from 2025–2028. For breeding American Oystercatchers and Piping Plovers, we will study the effect on breeding success, chick activity, movement ecology, and habitat use. For migratory shorebirds, we will study the effect on abundance, foraging rates, prey communities, and habitat use. Methodology includes nest monitoring, behavioral observations, GPS tracking, and habitat surveys.
The parking lot relocation will restore 6 km of prime nesting and foraging habitat. This research could have
far-ranging impacts by identifying the conservation gains that can result from limiting human disturbance. Other organizations could use this information as a justification for expanding or maintaining limits on public access to shorebird beach habitat.