Thanks to the hard work and initiative of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Mount Pleasant Radio, Staysmayer and Charleston Harbor Pilots, there is a live feed of Crab Bank Island, a 22-acre bird sanctuary at the mouth of Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

One of the most important shorebird nesting sites along the Eastern seaboard, Crab Bank becomes a cacophony of sounds (and distinction of odor) every summer as hundreds of birds crowd the island and begin to nest.  Over the last 25 years, we’ve kayaked around the island as part of our Shem Creek tours and had the privilege to see the progression from courtship to nesting to egg laying to hatching to chick each summer.  It never ceases to induce awe in our guides and clients.

Crab Bank is vital to the South Carolina population of Brown Pelicans.  We think of them as common birds, but most of them begin their lives on Crab Bank, Deavaux or Marsh Island. We’ve taken over their historical nesting sites as we’ve developed the barrier islands for ourselves.

This bird sanctuary gives them a refuge from raccoons, coyotes, dogs, people and other threats while they are doing the delicate task of making birds.  For many species, if the parents are flushed from the nest for even a few minutes, the eggs will overheat and become not viable.   A dog playing in the dunes, looking for its ball, is enough to disturb countless nests in this way.

Shorebirds utilize this island throughout the year for feeding and resting, but during the summer months, these birds nest on the island:

• Black Skimmers
• Least Terns
• Gull-billed Terns
• Sandwich Terns
• Common Terns
• Laughing Gulls
• Wilson’s Plovers
• American Oystercatchers
• Willets
• Great Egrets
• Snowy Egrets
• Tricolored Herons
• White Ibises

In conversation with Felicia Sanders, biologist with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, we learned that the birds have other environmental factors that impact the health of their nests.  Fire Ants somehow survive on this tiny spit of island and attack freshly born chicks as they hatch on the island.  Avian ticks can make their way into the Pelican nests and impact the mortality rate of chicks as well.  Inexperienced (or inconsiderate) boaters can flush birds from their nests when they approach too close to the island.

Even with the challenges and its close proximity to a busy waterway, Crab Bank is a productive bird rookery that is essential to the survival of the aforementioned bird species in South Carolina.

With the new PELICAM, we find ourselves transfixed on this live feed of the island, watching the island fill with birds and nests.  Two solar powered video cameras are stationed on the island, broadcasting the activity happening throughout the year.  Every 15 minutes, the feed alternates between cameras to offer a different perspective of Crab Bank.

We hope y’all enjoy the PELICAM as much as we do and you can always join us on a tour of Crab Bank Island.