A black skimmer on the beach. FILE<\/p>\n
The beach bird nesting season has begun along Florida\u2019s coasts. Spring and summer mark critical times of year for these vulnerable species, as they must avoid human disturbance, storms, and predators to raise their babies successfully.<\/p>\n
Sea and shorebirds lay their eggs right on the sand. They are scared of people and dogs and will take flight whenever boaters, beachgoers or dogs approach too closely. Repeated human disturbance often causes adult birds to abandon the nesting area, sometimes even leaving eggs and chicks behind. To limit the amount of human disturbance to nesting birds, Audubon staff close off important nesting areas to people while the state-threatened birds, such as least terns and black skimmers, raise their families.<\/p>\n
In Collier County, the Second Chance Critical Wildlife Area (CWA) is closed to boater access and landing from March 1 through Aug. 31. This shell island is located at the south end of Cape Romano, south of Marco Island. Other nesting areas near Marco Island that will be posted in March include Dickman\u2019s Key, Keewaydin Island, Big Marco Pass, and Morgan Pass beaches.<\/p>\n
In Lee County, nesting areas on Fort Myers Beach and the Little Estero CWA have been posted. All postings are coordinated closely with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.<\/p>\n
Postings often include informational signs, along with string and flagging, placed around areas where state-protected beach birds are known to nest. Staying out of posted nesting areas and giving the birds plenty of space allows them to successfully raise their chicks. Boaters need to heed signage and avoid areas posted as \u201cno trespassing,\u201d even if they don\u2019t notice any birds.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur coastal birds depend on these quiet stretches of beach to safely nest and raise their young. Our beaches are shared spaces, and by simply giving nesting birds the room they need and respecting posted areas, our community plays a vital role in protecting the future of Florida\u2019s coastal wildlife,\u201d said Megan Hatten, Audubon\u2019s Southwest Florida Shorebird Program manager.<\/p>\n
How to protect beach-nesting birds so they can raise the next generation of chicks to adulthood:<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Respect posted areas, even if you don\u2019t see any birds inside.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 If birds dive-bomb you, carefully move away as there may be a nest nearby.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Ensure no trash or food remnants are left behind, as this can attract predators.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Keep dogs on a leash (if they are allowed on the beach at all), on board your boat, or at home.<\/p>\n
About Audubon Florida<\/p>\n
Audubon Florida protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon 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, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at Audubon.org\/florida\/coastal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A black skimmer on the beach. FILE The beach bird nesting season has begun along Florida\u2019s coasts. Spring…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":288546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-288545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}