By Hal Snyder and Kirsten Snyder
Photos by Hal and Kirsten Snyder
www.moonbeampublishing.com
December 5, 2018 9:17 a.m.
Amelia Island is a magic Island. It is magic for many reasons: golf, fishing, nature and friendly people with a good quality of life. Nature provides Amelia Island residents and visitors with many magic moments: ocean sunrises, misty walk along the green way, hunting for shark teeth around Fort Clinch or wandering the beaches around the South end of the Island. One of the lesser known, but most spectacular, magic seasons on the Island for bird lovers is migration.
Amelia Island is in the middle of the famous Atlantic flyway (famous to bird watchers). Most east coast migrating birds will have populations that pass through northern Florida and Amelia Island. Some of these are rather common birds like Osprey fishing the shorelines and others are birds that might go extinct in our life time like the Piping Plover and Red Knots.
This week we have seen the Red Knot fall migration with groups of 20 birds feeding along Amelia Island beaches (there use to be 100s). Red Knots breed in the Canadian Arctic and winter in the south of Argentina. They migrate an amazing 20,000 miles each year! A portion of the migrating Red Knot population pass through Amelia Island and stop to fuel up and rest on our beaches. I guess Amelia Island is a magic place for them too.
Red Knot in breeding plumage on Amelia Island eating small crustaceans: Spring Migration 2018
Unfortunately there has been a steady decline in Red Knot numbers. For example Jolie Schlieper the Park Naturalist at Huguenot Memorial Park, just south of Amelia Island, reported that from 2014-2018 the high day yearly counts of Red Knots have declined from 212 birds to 3 birds. There are many reasons but most center around migration habitat destruction. The Red Knots have great habit to breed in the Arctic and great habitat to rest in Tierra del Fuego; but, the quality of their migration rest stops is in decline. For their arduous migration trip the Red Knot needs good rest stops and high calorie refueling stops. Amelia Island, historically, has been such a stop.
What can we do to keep this magic moment on the Island? When you see shorebirds on the beaches try not to disturb them. Let the tired birds rest and feed in peace. Although it is great fun, don’t let the dogs off the leash to harass the birds. Teach your children not to harass the birds. Doing this will help keep the magic moment of Nature alive on Amelia Island.
Editor’s Note: The Snyder husband and wife team have always loved photography, birds, and being outdoors. When asked who took each photo, Kirsten said they swap their camera so often they don’t always know. Kirsten and Hal started their website www.moonbeampublishing.com on bird photography and other interests in 2008, sharing the amazing sights they witnessed in nature.
The Snyders now call Amelia Island home having retired here in 2014. They donate images and book proceeds to non-profit environmental groups and are published in books, magazines, and calendars around the world. While it is certain that they will continue to miss more wonderful shots than they capture, the thrill of watching the beauty of flight will always remain.