CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Several familiar old faces have returned to nest in the Charleston Harbor for the first time in eight years.
Brown pelicans are nesting on Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary right at the mouth of Shem Creek, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday. Parts of the island will be closed to protect vulnerable chicks.
Crab Bank had historically supported as much as 20% of seabird nesting in the state between the 1990s and early 2000s, but years of harsh waves and storms shrunk the island and available habitat. In 2017, Hurricane Irma flattened the island and left it completely unsuitable for nesting…