Shorebirds may not be as commercially valuable as waterfowl, or as widely appreciated by the general public as songbirds, yet they have long held a special fascination for birders and ornithologists. The spectacular migrations undertaken by some species, and the wild regions they often inhabit, stir both the soul and the mind. Until recently, however, most shorebirds have tended to slip through the cracks in conservation consciousness. Yet their highly migratory habits, their need to concentrate at a few food-rich sites, and their use of habitats prone to human disturbance and development combine to make shorebirds vulnerable at many levels.