Why protecting high-tide roost sites is critical for shorebird welfare during migration and winter.
Roost disturbance causes real and measurable welfare harm to shorebirds. Birds that are repeatedly flushed from roosts during high tide cannot feed during this period and instead expend energy in unnecessary flight. During migration, when energy management is critical to survival, this energy debt accumulates across multiple disturbance events. In worst cases, birds depart on transoceanic migrations with insufficient fat reserves, increasing mortality at sea. Roost protection — through physical barriers, signage, and voluntary codes of conduct for recreational users — is a direct welfare intervention that is straightforward and low-cost to implement.