Active management of shorebird roost sites improves welfare for millions of migratory birds by reducing disturbance and predation risk during vulnerable periods.
Shorebirds repeatedly flushed from roost sites expend energy they cannot afford to lose during migration. The energy cost of repeated disturbance-induced flights - sometimes occurring dozens of times per day at busy sites - accumulates into nutritional deficits that prevent birds from continuing migration or reaching adequate condition for breeding. Roost site management that reduces disturbance has direct welfare benefits for hundreds of thousands of individual birds at key sites. Active predator management is more controversial but can be justified at sites where peregrine pressure prevents birds from roosting efficiently.