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Tag: shorebird

Royal terns

Shorebird gallery

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Photo Galleries.

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Least terns, pelicans, royal terns, snowy plovers, gulls, black skimmers and oystercatchers are some of the shorebirds that frequent Anna Maria Island.

Coronavirus affecting turtle, bird monitoring

Coronavirus affecting turtle, bird monitoring

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Birds, Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – COVID-19 will keep most Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers off the beaches as sea turtle and bird nesting seasons begin, according to Director Suzi Fox.

Turtle nesting season begins officially on May 1, but Turtle Watch volunteers usually take to the beach on April 1 each year to catch any early nesters, and already, an early loggerhead nest has been discovered on Florida’s east coast, she said.

“We need to make sure we don’t miss any nests,” said Fox, who, with another volunteer, will monitor the beaches by ATV and let the organization’s other volunteers remain safely at home for the near future.

Depending on the progress of the coronavirus, a “skeleton crew” of about a dozen volunteers on ATVs could be deployed in May, she said.

You can follow Turtle Watch’s activities on its newly-redesigned website, www.islandturtlewatch.com.

“We have to make sure the workers are safe,” Fox said. “I don’t want volunteers on the beach until this thing has passed.”

COVID-19 has affected Turtle Watch financially, too, she said, with a large source of donations drying up with the cancellation of the Farmer’s Market.

In addition, Turtle Talks have been suspended until further notice, she said, adding, “We will not be meeting face to face for at least the next two months.”

The group also monitors spring bird nesting, roping off nesting areas to keep eggs and chicks safe.

So far this year, Fox has seen black skimmers gathering at Coquina Beach and some royal terns “looking amorously at each other,” she said, adding that no snowy plovers have appeared on local beaches yet.

Ruddy turnstones, which leave by summer, are active, and a lesser black back gull has been spotted, she added.

One or two of the gulls, which are noticeably larger than most other birds on the beach, usually come each spring and leave by summer, Fox said.

Turtle Watch will be coordinating with Manatee County on the upcoming beach renourishment project, which will be done during sea turtle nesting season, she said.

The start date for the beach renourishment project is not confirmed, according to Charlie Hunsicker, director of the Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department, but the coronavirus has not yet affected other dredge operations in the U.S., he said.

The beach renourishment project originally slated to begin in February was delayed until April by an Army Corps of Engineers requirement that Manatee County prove its title to a section of the beach.

The six-month, two-phase project will add sand to the beach between 78th Street North in Holmes Beach to Fifth Street South in Bradenton Beach, and between Fifth Street South and Longboat Pass.

County funds for the project, estimated between $13-$16 million, come from the tourist tax; state and federal funds also are allocated to the project.

Turtle watch volunteers ready for season

Turtle Watch volunteers ready for season

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Featured, Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – As the first day of turtle nesting season approaches and shorebirds begin pairing up and making nests, volunteers with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring are making ready to protect them.

Turtle watch volunteers ready for season
Suzi Fox, right, director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, briefs volunteers last week about their tasks during the six-month turtle season that begins on May 1. – Amy Waterbury | Submitted

The group’s volunteers need protecting too, Director Suzi Fox told them last week at CrossPointe Fellowship.

Turtle watch volunteers ready for season
Blue Water Beach Club is letting guests know about sea turtle nesting season, asking them to bring beach chairs off the beach at night. – Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring | Submitted

Each volunteer walks the beach at least two miles at dawn once a week. Fox told her group that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is asking Turtle Watch to have each beach walker take two days instead of one beginning next season, and that anyone unable to walk that much without assistance should think about making way for new volunteers to participate.

Other volunteer positions include staffing the Turtle Watch booth at festivals, giving Turtle Talks, fundraising and staffing school events.

Turtle season begins on May 1 and lasts through Halloween, but turtles can start showing up any time now, Fox said. The organization’s volunteers already are making sweeps up and down Island beaches to check for nesting of turtles and shorebirds, which begin nesting earlier than turtles.

Turtle Tips

  • Turn off lights visible from the beach and close blinds from sundown to sunrise; lights confuse nesting sea turtles and may cause them to go back to sea and drop their eggs in the water, where they won’t hatch. Light can also attract hatchlings away from the water.
  • Don’t use flashlights, lanterns or camera flashes on the beach at night.
  • Remove all objects from the sand from sundown to sunrise; they can deter sea turtles from nesting and disorient hatchlings.
  • Fill in the holes you dig in the sand before leaving the beach; they can trap nesting and hatching sea turtles, which cannot live long out of the water.
  • Don’t use wish lanterns or fireworks; they litter the beach and Gulf.
  • Do not trim trees and plants that shield the beach from lights.
  • Never touch a sea turtle; it’s the law. If you see people disturbing turtles, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Bird tips

  • Never touch a shorebird chick, even if it’s wandering outside a staked nesting area.
  • Teach kids not to chase birds – bird parents may abandon nests if they’re disturbed.
  • Don’t feed birds – it encourages them to fly at people aggressively and is not good for their health.
  • If birds are screeching and flying at you, you’re too close.
  • Avoid posted bird nesting areas and use designated walkways to the beach.
  • Keep pets away from bird nesting areas.
  • Keep the beach clean; food scraps attract predators such as raccoons and crows to the beach, and litter can entangle birds and other wildlife.
  • If you see people disturbing nesting birds, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).