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In this IssueEvents & RemindersMay 1, 6:00 p.m. EST: Bird Steward Survey Experience for Pinellas County Black Skimmer Colonies. Register here for this Zoom event. May 10: Global Big Day and World Migratory Bird Day May 13-19: Third survey count window, see the Breeding Bird Protocol. Whenever possible, weekly surveys are preferred for routes with active nesting. Weekly surveys help capture information about peak counts. May 24-26. Memorial Day Weekend! Shorebirds and seabirds nesting along the coast need more support during busy holiday weekends. Can you help? Please check the FSA website. Hot Off The Press2024 Audubon Florida Coastal Report
Rooftop Nesting Article (pg. 38-39).
IBNB Survey ExperienceIn 2022, the FWC approved new Guidelines for four species of imperiled beach-nesting birds (IBNB): American oystercatcher, snowy plover, least tern, black skimmer. The Guidelines took effect on October 1, 2024. Guidelines clarify protections for the species, provide options for avoiding impacts, and provide information on permitting, including minimization and mitigation options, when impacts are unavoidable. FWC is excited to announce that it is hosting several Imperiled Beach-Nesting Bird (IBNB) Survey Experience opportunities this year. The first will be in the Panhandle from May 14-16 and the second will be St. Johns County from June 17-19. These are great opportunities, especially for those seeking to gain the necessary skills and experience to become an IBNB Permitted Monitor. IBNB Permitted Monitors are hired to survey, post, and protect shorebirds during coastal projects and events. IBNB Permitted Monitors are dedicated individuals with proven shorebird and seabird identification skills and avian survey experience. They are qualified to assist FWC Incidental Take Permittees with minimizing and avoiding harm or harassment of imperiled beach-nesting birds during project activities. Space is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Priority will be given to those who can commit to attending all three days and who need survey experience to become IBNB Permitted Monitors. The IBNB Permitted Monitor application is available: please visit the FWC's IBNB Permitted Monitor website and FWC’s permitting website. Panhandle details:
St. John’s details:
FSA News Students Create and Install Seabird Decoys at the Lake Worth Lagoon IslandsThree students from Pine Crest Middle School partnered with a team from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Palm Beach County’s Environmental Resources Management to install three-dimensional decoys on Tarpon Cove Islands in the Lake Worth Lagoon in West Palm Beach. The goal is to attract and encourage nesting of the state-threatened least terns and black skimmers. However, these were not your typical decoys. The students are part of the school’s Technology Student Association (TSA), a national organization that engages students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These students have spent the school year researching the threats to coastal shorebirds and seabirds nesting in Florida. In February, they placed second in the State TSA competition for Community Service projects. The students recently used computer software to develop and design the decoy templates in the Innovative Technology Lab at their school. They used a 3D printer to cut precise wood pieces for each species. The pieces were glued together and painted to form realistic 3D decoys. In total, ten least tern decoys and seven black skimmer decoys were constructed and deployed on the beach. Now that the decoy installation is complete, the students are preparing for the National TSA Competition in June. Typically, ground-nesting colonies of least terns and black skimmers are limited in South Florida due to a lack of suitable habitat. However, both species nested on the islands as recently as 2022. That year, the black skimmer colony was the only ground colony on the east coast south of St. John’s County and the least tern colony was the largest south of Brevard County. The Tarpon Cove Islands are a series of man-made spoil islands created to restore mangrove, oyster, seagrass, and coastal shorebird/seabird habitat to improve water quality and benefit marine species in Lake Worth Lagoon. To learn more about how the local community is getting involved with the restoration of the Lake Worth Lagoon, visit the Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management webpage.  FSD UpdatesAll About RooftopsThe 2025 breeding season is here, and rooftop-nesting birds are starting to nest! Here are a few tips on entering rooftop data, and how to retire rooftops from the Database. Thank you to all FSA partners who have been busy collecting and entering data so far! If you have questions or need assistance with data entry or collection, email us at FLShorebirdDatabase@MyFWC. Rooftop Data Entry Tips When entering rooftop surveys into the FSD, there are three options to report rooftop nesting status:
Remember that a rooftop can only be reported as No Longer Active if the rooftop has been Active at least once during the current breeding season. Likewise, once a rooftop has been reported as Active, it cannot later be reported as No Nesting Yet This Year. Instead, it should be reported as No Longer Active. If birds return to the rooftop, then the rooftop can be reported as Active again.  Retiring Rooftops We retire a rooftop from the FSD when a rooftop is no longer suitable for nesting, such as when a rooftop is reroofed with non-gravel material or the building is torn down. A rooftop that has been deemed no longer suitable for nesting does not need to be monitored. The FSD data team will retire the rooftop from the database, and you can focus your monitoring efforts elsewhere. Do you know of a rooftop that needs to be retired? Let us and your local partnership coordinator know! Email us at FLShorebirdDatabase@MyFWC.com. Be sure to include (a) the rooftop name and location, (b) why the rooftop is no longer suitable, and (c) when the rooftop became unsuitable. The FSD data team retires rooftops in batches several times a year. There may be a delay between when you report a rooftop for retirement and when the rooftop is retired from the database. Thank you! Your participation in this process helps us keep the list of suitable rooftops as accurate as possible. Ebb Tidings
Least Terns are Back – Familiar Feathers!The 2025 seabird breeding season is upon us! Beginning in March, we had our first sightings of least terns in the state of Florida. These charismatic birds migrate from Central and South America to nest on our sandy beaches, shell islands, and gravel rooftops. Least terns are colonial nesters. Their colonies can be large and obvious or only consist of a few pairs. So, when you see one, you’re likely to see more! Did you know that up to a third of the range-wide population of least terns breeds in Florida? You can expect to see them until they migrate south in August-September. For guidance on monitoring seabird colonies in Florida, see pages 9-13 in the 2025 Breeding Bird Protocol. | |||||||||
The Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA) is a statewide partnership of agencies, non-government organizations, and individuals committed to advancing shorebird and seabird conservation in Florida. FSA partners coordinate their independent work and collaborate to identify and address important needs regarding research, management, education, outreach, and public policy. The FSA accommodates a wide range of views on the best strategies to conserve shorebirds and seabirds. However, all partners share the same goal of establishing areas where seabird and shorebird populations are viable and managed in balance with human activities. |
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