Audubon helps protect shorebirds and seabirds
Memorial Day weekend officially ushered in summer and lots of fun for visitors to Florida’s 1,100 miles of sandy beaches. This past holiday, Audubon and its chapter volunteer leaders were out on many of our beaches to help beachgoers protect important residents of our coasts -nesting shorebirds and seabirds.
For years, Audubon of Florida, its partner chapters, and government land managers have been protecting beach-nesting birds by marking nesting areas with posts, informational signs, and in some cases, light rope strung between the posts. This year, volunteers from Audubon chapters as wide-ranging as St. Johns, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Duval Audubon, wore wear vests, and set up umbrellas and spotting scopes near beach nesting bird colonies to help beachgoers avoid these sensitive areas, spot shorebirds, and learn more about protecting our feathered friends.
The crush of people drawn to Florida’s coasts for the holiday can be disastrous for beach-nesting birds because their nests are little more than small scrapes in the sand. Human disturbance flushes them off their nests, leaving their eggs to cook in the hot sun in mere minutes. Plovers and other solitary nesting species are often unnoticed and many colonial nesters, including terns, are apparent only because their colonies are roped off to help limit disturbance.
“Most people think a mother bird is incubating her eggs to keep them warm,” said Ann Hodgson, Ph.D., Audubon of Florida Gulf Coast Ecosystem Science Coordinator. “With Florida’s beach-nesting birds, the parent is actually providing shade to eggs and chicks during the day. A single significant disturbance can destroy an entire colony.”
Some beach-nesting bird colonies are posted to let people know where vulnerable ‘nurseries’ are, but unfortunately, not all colonies and few solitary nesting birds get this protection. By walking around both posted areas and un-posted aggregations of birds, beachgoers avoid disrupting families and help insure future generations of beach-nesting birds. Because nesting is seasonal, most protected areas are closed to human use only during this short time.
In addition to nesting shorebirds, long-distance migrants, such as Red Knots, also use Florida’s beaches as a rest stop between their wintering grounds in extreme South America and their breeding grounds on the still-frozen Arctic tundra. These globetrotting migrants need to feed on our beaches to replenish the fat used up in their migration thus far and to prepare for the long trip ahead. Successful feeding has direct bearing on the knots’ ability to reproduce or even reach their breeding grounds, another 2,500 miles away.
Even on beaches where Audubon stewards are not present, vacationers are urged to follow a few simple guidelines to have fun and step lightly around birds.
It’s Easy to Protect Shorebirds and Seabirds
> Avoid the temptation to flush groups of birds. They may be resting, feeding or sheltering eggs. By giving them a wide berth, you’ll make sure your actions don’t have deadly consequences for eggs or chicks.
> Similarly, obey leash laws and don’t allow dogs to flush birds. Even in areas where there do not appear to be groups of birds, solitary nesters may be camouflaged with the beach. It’s best to keep dogs off the beaches entirely or only take them to “dog beaches” until later in the summer when the birds have finished nesting. Birds perceive dogs as predators and will be scared off their nest even by a leashed dog walking away from them.
> In places where beach driving is allowed, take extra care to be aware of birds on the beach. Drivers who move faster than a pedestrian and are isolated by their vehicles from the sights and sounds of the beach are more likely to overlook birds. Furthermore, chicks sometimes take shelter in the depression of tire tracks in the sand, leaving them vulnerable to vehicles that follow them.
Now in its second century, Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation. Visit www.audubonoffloridanews.org for more information.