By Renee Wilson
Communications Associate, 约炮视频 Florida
Published April 03, 2023
This article is from 约炮视频 Florida
. 约炮视频 has 31 conservation action centers and more than 500 community and campus chapters across the U.S. serving local communities. Find your local center or chapter here.
Spring and summer mark critical times of year for several vulnerable sea and shorebird species, as they must avoid human disturbance, storms, and predators to successfully raise their chicks. Species including Snowy Plovers, Black Skimmers, and Least Terns lay their eggs right on the sand. They perceive people as a threat and will take flight whenever beachgoers, or their dogs, approach too closely. Repeated human disturbance often results in birds abandoning the colony, causing the loss of eggs and possibly the end of the nesting season for these beach-nesting birds.
鈥淭hese birds are extremely vulnerable to human disturbance,鈥 said Caroline Stahala, PhD, 约炮视频 Shorebird Program Manager for the Florida Panhandle. 鈥淚t is important for beach-goers to heed signage and avoid areas posted for nesting birds, even if they don't notice any birds inside the posted area,鈥 she added.
While some birds lay their eggs in tree nests, sea and shorebirds lay their eggs right on the sand, where they are very well camouflaged. Visitors to some local beaches in the Florida Panhandle might come across signs that indicate beach-nesting bird sites. 约炮视频 staff works with a team of volunteer beach-nesting bird stewards who point out nesting birds to beachgoers and answer questions.
How to help beach-nesting birds raise their next generation of chicks to adulthood:
鈥 Respect posted areas, even if you don鈥檛 see any birds inside.
鈥 If birds dive-bomb you, carefully move away as there is a nest nearby.
鈥 Ensure no trash or food remnants are left behind, as this can attract predators.
鈥 Respect local dog ordinances and only take your furry friend to designated dog beaches.
约炮视频 Florida protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. 约炮视频 works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give 约炮视频 an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1900, 约炮视频 believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive.