First Signs of Black Skimmer Chicks on Sand Dollar Island

After last year’s challenges, the black skimmers came back to their favorite nesting habitat on Sand Dollar Island. And there are chicks!  According to FWC biologist, Brittany Piersma, just last week she counted about 20 chicks in just one section. The chicks are still very small.

The nesting colony is looking good with adults numbering to about 800 and everyone is keeping their fingers crossed that this season is going to be better than last year. In June 2020, Tropical Storm Cristobal delivered heavy rains and winds with high tide and flood watches. The relentless rain “over washed” the eggs for both the least tern and black skimmer colony.

Still the birds came back and re-nested and eggs and chicks followed.

Fast forward to June 2021 as the black skimmer colony is in full hatching mode and soon, the sandy landscape will have downy chicks scampering all over while nervous parents bark caution nearby. The black skimmer is very recognizable with their unusual bill, which is bright red with a black tip that looks like it had been dipped in black paint.  

The black skimmers earned their name because of the way they feed. They drop their lower mandible and slice through the surface of the water as they fly just inches above the water.  They catch most of their food (small fish, shrimp, and small crustaceans) in this manner.  

Black Skimmers are quite vocal – and if you were visiting the nesting colony, you can hear them before you see them – either in flight or watching their chicks. I have visited the colony quite often and the parents can get quite vocal and often display a mock “dive bombing” behavior when people, dogs, or intruders’ approach too close to the colony, which can be very intimidating.

In a couple of weeks, downy black skimmer chicks will be running after their parents whining loudly and begging for food. When a parent has something to share, it places the food into the chick’s beak. Parents are busy flying off to the surrounding waters for bait fish to feed the hungry chicks.

Last year, two-thirds of the chicks that hatched on Sand Dollar were lost to Septic Arthritis on the joints. In birds, this kind of sepsis goes to the legs of the young birds, and most perished from it. Adam DiNuovo, a seabird biologist for Audubon Florida remarked that “when we see this in birds, it is usually coming from sewage, and it is coming from humans. The chance of the illness being wildlife borne is slim.” This also cut short DiNuovo’s banding project of Black Skimmers. 

On Friday, December 4, 2020, Michelle Kerr of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) Commission’s OPS Public Information Specialist, confirmed the cause of the unusual mortality event of the black skimmer chicks during the months of July and August.

Kerr confirmed that FWC sent suitable carcasses for necropsy to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) which provided a final diagnosis of bacterial dermatitis, tendinitis, and osteomyelitis, with multiple bacteria isolated (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Serratia marcescens, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa)

According to Kerr, though the tests confirmed the cause of mortality in the young skimmers, the source of the pathogen was unknown. The adult skimmers did not display the same evidence of illness as observed in the young birds. DiNuovo also added that this is NOT something that is spread from bird to bird.

Will we ever know the true origin of the bacteria that caused the infection and death of the chicks?  Here we are in July 2021 and concerns still persists on these health issues not only for the black skimmer chicks but also the potential to human health. Can the deadly event of 2020 happen again to the black skimmer chicks?

Collier County’s Healthy Beaches Program test the waters from Tigertail Lagoon every two weeks. The water is tested for the presence of Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli bacteria.  

The July 4th weekend will be a busy one for both birds and people on Sand Dollar Island. Here’s what we can all do:

Keep a safe distance from posted nesting areas.

No dogs are allowed on Sand Dollar Island.

Do not flush resting birds on the shoreline.

Keep off dunes and vegetation.

Do not litter.