BRADENTON BEACH – Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers have cordoned off an area in Bradenton Beach where more than 100 black skimmer seabirds have been gathering for the past few weeks.
Black skimmers are designated as a threatened species in Florida and are protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act. If the black skimmers nest in this Island location, it will be the first time since 2017 that Anna Maria Island has had a colony of nesting black skimmers.
“Previous colonies failed due to human interference,” according to a May 8 Turtle Watch press release. “While the perimeter has been roped off, it is important that people stay away from the birds and the posted closure. Since they haven’t settled on an exact location yet, they may be establishing nest sites outside of the posted area. If birds are flushed while establishing a nest site, they may move to a less suitable location.”
When birds are flushed from their nests, the eggs become susceptible to predators.
“Black skimmers spend their entire lives in coastal areas, usually around sandy beaches and islands, although a few colonies can be found in inland locations with very large lakes, particularly in Florida and California,” the press release says.
The non-profit AMI Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Organization provided the following tips for the protection of nesting shorebirds:
• Keep your distance. If birds become agitated or leave their nests, you are too close! A general rule is to stay at least 300 feet away from a nest.
• Respect posted areas. Avoid posted nesting and resting areas and use designated walkways.
Never intentionally force birds to fly. When birds are chased or disturbed, they use energy they need to reserve for nesting and migration.
• Keep pets away from nesting areas. Even well-behaved pets can be perceived as a threat to birds and will disturb them. Keep cats indoors.
• Keep the beach clean and do not feed wildlife. Food scraps attract predators such as raccoons and crows to the beaches. Litter on beaches can entangle birds.
• Spread the word. If you see people disturbing nesting birds, gently remind them how their actions may hurt birds’ survival. If they continue to disturb nesting birds, please call and report their activities to FWC’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-3922.
For more information, visit IslandTurtleWatch.com.
Sea turtle nesting update
In what may be a slightly late start to sea turtle nesting season, as of May 8, there have been no signs of sea turtle crawls on the Island. “We haven’t found any sea turtle crawls on Anna Maria Island – and we’ve been monitoring the beach since April 15,” Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Director Kristen Mazzarella stated in a May 8 email.
AMI Turtle Watch is conducting weekly “Turtle Tracks and Shorebird Facts” Turtle Talks every Monday through August at Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive, with the exception of Memorial Day on May 25. Turtle Watch volunteers will conduct the Turtle Talk presentations from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and attendees will learn about sea turtles and shorebirds.
Free outreach materials are available at IslandTurtleWatch.com/get-involved/educate to help educate vacation rental guests. The educational materials include rack cards, door hangers, posters and window clings that can be placed in vacation rental units to inform visitors about protecting sea turtles and shorebirds during their stay on Anna Maria Island.
The Turtle Watch 24-hour hotline is 941-301-8434.
