Update on Marco’s Nesting Shorebirds After Tropical Storm Elsa

As tropical storm turned hurricane Elsa swept across Florida last week, there was concern on what the storm surge would do to the vulnerable newly hatched chicks on Sand Dollar Island; even as a tropical storm high tides could wash away eggs and tiny chicks.

According to Marianne Korosy, PhD, Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon Florida, “early storms are always devastating to beach nesting birds. Our sea and shorebirds were already having a difficult season as a result of human interferences, from walking through roped-off areas, to fireworks to outbreaks of red tide.”

Good news for our nesting black skimmers at Sand Dollar Island! According to Ricardo Zambrano of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Big Marco Pass Critical Wildlife Area (Sand Dollar Island) in Collier County suffered no losses as the water never reached the colony. There were 210 Black Skimmer chicks that survived without any apparent loses and no nests were lost to overwash. The colony was nesting on higher grounds above the reach of the storm surge. In additional good news, three of four broods of Wilson’s Plover chicks survived also.

According to Audubon, Florida, the northern end of Sand Dollar Island within the Big Marco Pass Critical Wildlife area is the only significant large colonial beach nesting bird habitat in Collier County and hosts to hundreds of threatened Black Skimmer pairs, in addition to Wilson’s Plovers and Least Terns. It would be very difficult to find a replacement for this habitat.

Across the state, Audubon’s Coastal Bird Stewardship Program engages local communities to protect beach nesting birds from predators and disturbance, like dogs or humans getting too close. Due to compounding threats like sea level rise and habitat loss, coastal birds are facing a crisis - seabirds around the world have decreased by 70 percent since 1950, and shorebirds in North America alone have seen an even steeper decline since 1973.

I visited the nesting colony this weekend and saw a robust noisy feeding area where parent Black Skimmers took turns bringing in fish for the hungry chicks. Downy chicks were all vocalizing as they tried to locate mom and dad. It was also amazing to see how mom and dad could find the exact location of their chirping chick.

Often the chicks stray out of the posted colony closer to the surf. The chicks are not easy to see, and you can easily step on one of them! So, be very careful where you walk – listen to chirping chicks or look for the movement blending in with the sand!

Also, for the first time at the colony are Black Skimmers banded two years ago by biologist Adam DiNuovo, now returning to have chicks of their own. This return of the banded skimmers is showing the success of the banding project and the importance of the northern tip of Sand Dollar Island to the Black Skimmer nesting colony.

According to Audubon, Florida, if we give the nesting shorebirds their space for the rest of the season, the birds can be resilient. To protect the birds, beachgoers should give them their space, keep dogs at home and dispose of trash.

Update on the abandoned sailboat: Per the Statewide FWC Derelict Vessel Database, FWC removal authorization was sent to Collier County Coastal Zone Management on April 9, 2021.  FWC has no further involvement aside from documenting when the County contractors remove this derelict vessel.

Tips When Visiting Nesting Birds