Coastal Bird Stewardship on Long Island

In spring and summer, our beaches and islands become a nursery for federally and state-protected birds like the Piping Plover, Least Tern, and American Oystercatcher.

They lay well-camouflaged eggs directly on the ground, usually on sand or shells. The beach is their only home, and individual birds often return to the same place year after year to raise their young. 

These birds rely on us to share the shore, because our beach season is their nesting season.

Our coastal stewardship work, known on Long Island as the "Be a Good Egg" program, reduces threats to nesting shorebirds through monitoring and surveying,  and hands-on stewardship—erecting fencing around nesting areas, installing predator exclosures around nests, and educating beachgoers with handouts and signage. 

A Pledge of Protection / Una promesa de protección

When a person or dog walks through a nesting area, the adults run or fly off in fear. During the nesting season, this exposes the eggs or chicks to fatally high temperatures and drastically increases the risk of predation. Off-leash dogs and cats can kill or injure birds, especially flightless chicks. Trash on the beach can entangle birds, be mistaken for food and ingested, and can attract predators.

You can help give birds the space they need to safely rest, nest, feed, and raise their young by taking the pledge to "Be a Good Egg" in English - o en español.