research paper Wader Study 128(2): xxx–xxx. doi:10.18194/ws.00228 Nocturnal roost on South Carolina coast supports nearly half of Atlantic coast population of Hudsonian Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus during northward migration Felicia J. Sanders1, Maina C. Handmaker2, Andrew S. Johnson3 & Nathan R. Senner2 1South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, 220 Santee Gun Club Road, McClellanville, SC 29458, USA.
[email protected] 2Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, 715 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA 3Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA Sanders, F.J., M.C. Handmaker, A.S. Johnson & N.R. Senner. Nocturnal roost on South Carolina coast supports nearly half of Atlantic coast population of Hudsonian Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus during northward migration. Wader Study 128(2): xxx–xxx. Hudsonian Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus are rapidly declining and understanding Keywords their use of migratory staging sites is a top research priority. Nocturnal roosts are site fidelity an essential, yet often overlooked component of staging sites due to their apparent rarity, inaccessibility, and inconspicuousness. The coast of Georgia and stopover South Carolina is one of two known important staging areas for Atlantic coast staging area Whimbrel during spring migration. Within this critical staging area, we discovered the largest known Whimbrel nocturnal roost in the Western Hemisphere at population estimate Deveaux Bank, South Carolina. Surveys in 2019 and 2020 during peak spring management migration revealed that Deveaux Bank supports at least 19,485 roosting Whimbrel, conservation which represents approximately 49% of the estimated eastern population of Whimbrel and 24% of the entire North American population.