July Wrack Line Newsletter - The Newsletter of the Florida Shorebird Alliance July 2025

Newsletter of the Florida Shorebird Alliance July 2025 Photo by Britt Brown Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

In this Issue Events & Reminders FSA News IBNB Survey Experience FSD Updates Ebb Tidings Events & Reminders July 4 - September: Beach stewards are needed at important beach nesting sites. Check out the Become a Bird Steward opportunities and get involved! July 10 - 16: July count window for the Breeding Bird Protocol.  September 29 – October 2: 49th Annual Meeting of the Waterbird Society, Symposia on piping plovers, common terns, and rails. Early registration closes July 14. Visit the Waterbird Society Website for more information. FSA News Welcome, Karl Mokross! Please welcome our new Florida Shorebird Alliance Coordinator, Karl Mokross! His passion for seabirds and shorebirds sparked in 2006 while monitoring a Caspian Tern colony on the Washington-Oregon divide. Since then, Karl has worked as an avian biologist in Hawaii and the Amazon, earning his PhD by studying Amazonian mixed-species flocks. He also brings experience as a scientific communicator through illustration and video production. We are excited to have Karl onboard as the new FSA coordinator!   FSA Partners Show Up Across the State to Protect Beach-nesting Birds For example, the Tampa Bay area had a successful Memorial Day weekend despite record numbers of beachgoers at nesting sites across the region! The amazing team in Tampa Bay is composed of Audubon, County, and State Park Staff as well as volunteers. Many park rangers and officers spent long hours alongside the stewardship team to educate beachgoers and to prevent disturbance to the beach-nesting birds. The Tampa Bay area, like many other areas in the state, has an incredible community of people and organizations that support shorebird and seabird conservation. Thank you to all of our FSA partners for protecting beach-nesting birds. Link to thank you video: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JTPvjXHNT/  Tips for a Shorebird-friendly 4th of July As people head to the coasts for the Independence Day holiday, the FWC is reminding the public to help protect shorebirds and seabirds by giving them space and keeping personal fireworks off the beach.  It's the peak nesting season for shorebirds, and flightless chicks are common in coastal habitats along Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Threatened species such as the snowy plover, least tern, black skimmer and American oystercatcher are among the shorebirds facing conservation challenges and needing help from people to survive. Loud noises can cause adults to flush off their nests and tiny chicks to become separated from parents, leaving them vulnerable to predators, the elements and getting stepped on by beachgoers. Celebrate a shorebird-friendly Independence Day by following these tips: Leave fireworks to the professionals. Keep personal fireworks off the beach; attend an official event instead. The loud sounds and bright lights of fireworks on Florida's beaches and waterways can have catastrophic effects on nesting birds and their chicks, as well as nesting sea turtles. Do the flock walk. Keep at least 300 feet from nesting birds, stay out of posted areas, and walk around flocks of birds. Getting too close to nesting shorebirds, seabirds and wading birds can cause them to flush from their breeding sites, leaving vulnerable eggs and chicks exposed to the elements and predators. Egg temperatures can increase to lethal levels after just a few minutes of direct sun exposure. Shorebirds and seabirds nest in shallow scrapes in the sand and their eggs and chicks are well-camouflaged, making them vulnerable to being stepped on unless people look out for them and walk around flocks of birds. Properly stash all trash. Trash and food scraps attract predators, such as raccoons and crows, that prey on shorebird eggs and chicks. Litter on beaches and in the water can entangle birds, turtles and other wildlife. Beachgoers can help shorebirds and other native wildlife by properly disposing of all trash, filling in human-made holes in the sand, and removing all personal gear from the beach before sunset. Be sure to dispose of fishing line properly - it can be deadly to waterbirds, sea turtles and other wildlife. To find a monofilament recycling station near you, visit mrrp.myfwc.com. Keep Fido at home. Even well-behaved dogs and responsible people can frighten shorebirds, causing them to abandon their eggs and chicks. Birds see all dogs as predators. If you're visiting a pet-friendly beach, keep your furry friend on a leash.   Look for Critical Wildlife Area (CWA) closures. Be on the lookout for signs designating Critical Wildlife Areas on the beach or coastal islands – these areas are closed to public access to protect high concentrations of wading birds and shorebirds while they nest and raise their chicks. Boaters and beachgoers can help nesting birds by keeping distance and noise volumes low near CWAs. Practice disturbance-free photography. When taking photos, please take great care to avoid disturbing the birds, and their nests and chicks. Florida’s wildlife photographers can be important advocates for shorebirds and seabirds when following guidance in the How to Be a Shorebird-friendly Photographer brochure. Be aware. Shorebirds and seabirds nest in a variety of coastal habitats, including beaches, shell rakes and small islands. Solitary nesting shorebirds are very cryptic, so remember to stay far away from posted areas even if you do not see nesting birds.  Spread the word. Let your friends and family know how important it is to give shorebirds space and share the message on social media! Report disturbance of nesting birds to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) or by texting 847411 (Tip411).  Have a happy Independence Day weekend while sharing the shore!  IBNB Survey Experience In 2022, the FWC approved new Guidelines for four species of imperiled beach-nesting birds (IBNB): American oystercatchers, snowy plovers, least terns, black skimmers. 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.  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. NE/NC Florida Details: Dates: Ongoing (June-August) Locations: Various If you are interested in learning about opportunities in Northeast or North Central Florida, please contact Hailey Dedmon at Hailey.Dedmon@MyFWC.com. Please include a name, phone number, and address for each interested participant.   South Florida Details: Dates: Ongoing (June-August) Locations: Various If you are interested in learning about opportunities in South Florida, please contact Ricardo Zambrano at Ricardo.Zambrano@MyFWC.com. Please include a name, phone number, and address for each interested participant. FSD Updates Helpful Hint: Shorebird Nesting Summaries Did you know that you can use the Florida Shorebird Database (FSD) to look at shorebird nesting for a particular pair? Every time you enter nest observations, report re-nests, or include natal nest information for a roving chick, the data can be linked together into a nesting sequence. All you have to do is navigate to the MyData page, find the shorebird nest you're interested in, and click View/Edit. On the View My Solitary Site page, you'll see a map showing all of the linked data. Below the map, the Site Summary table shows all of the nesting attempts, the distance between them, and whether each nesting attempt was an original nest or a re-nest. If you need to make any corrections, just click the Edit link. Full details about every visit to the nests is shown in the Site Visit Summary table, along with any chick observations linked to the natal nest. You can see the nest status for each visit, the counts reported for the nest, and the number of roving chicks reported. Remember, the Breeding Bird Protocol defines three roving chick age classes, and the table uses a shorthand to present the chicks observed in each: Downy / Feathered / Flight-capable For example, the chick observation below is indicated by a 1 in the leftmost slot, indicating that one downy chick was observed during the 5/8/2024 survey. Being able to view the complete nesting sequence for a given pair helps you track how they're doing - how many nesting attempts they made, how many chicks hatched and how many chicks fledged. If you have any questions about viewing nesting summaries or navigating the website, email us at FLShorebirdDatabase@myFWC.com. Ebb Tidings   Frequently Asked Questions About Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI – Strain H5 2.3.4.4) cases have been confirmed in wild birds in Florida. FWC Wildlife Health staff continues to monitor bird mortalities suspected to be attributed to Avian Influenza throughout the state. This strain has been documented in the United States since 2021 and was detected for the first time in Florida in January 2022. Please visit www.myFWC.com/AvianInfluenza for the most updated information. There is a low risk of HPAI transmission to humans, which can be minimized by following basic safety protocols. To prevent the spread of HPAI, follow the common-sense precautions provided below, which are always recommended to reduce the risk of contracting any disease from wildlife. Ways to help prevent HPAI spread: Report sick or dead birds so die-offs can be investigated and tested. Prevent contact between domestic or captive birds and wild birds (especially waterfowl). Do not handle sick or dead wildlife. Most wildlife rehabilitation facilities in affected areas are not taking sick waterfowl, waterbirds, raptors, or scavengers (vultures, gulls, crows). Contact the closest rehab facility directly to confirm what their current policy is. Look for additional precautions below if you are working around areas where seabirds and shorebirds congregate. Frequently Asked Questions from Florida Shorebird Alliance Partners: I work/volunteer as a chick checker at rooftop nesting colonies. Can I continue to safely re-roof fallen chicks? Yes, while taking the following precautions to minimize risk of HPAI transmission: Working outdoors in a well-ventilated environment is recommended. If working around wild birds, such as seabirds and shorebirds, protective gear that can be cleaned or disposed, such as a mask, gloves (rubber, latex or nitrile), boots (preferably rubber), eye protection, and an apron are recommended. Wash well after handling any bird (for at least 30 seconds with soap) or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (apply well and allow to dry before touching anything). Between re-roofing each individual chick, clean equipment with sanitizing spray (10% bleach solution) or other bird-safe disinfectant (allow to dry after wiping down). Ensure clothes and especially boots/shoes are clean and free of fecal material before leaving the site. Disposable boot covers are recommended if shoes cannot be cleaned. Do not eat, drink, or smoke while working around birds. When collecting dead chicks for disposal, avoid aerosols from the bag when closing/sealing. Any carcasses collected from a site for disposal should be double-bagged, sealed well, and the outside of the bag disinfected before disposing. Carcasses may be disposed by burial, incineration (e.g. pet cremation [double-bagged]), or double-bagged and disposed of at a class 1 landfill or household trash. Avoid transporting birds in the interior of cars, and don’t store carcasses in coolers, refrigerators or freezers used for food. I monitor a bird colony during the breeding season, or regularly conduct surveys of breeding birds in Florida. What precautions should I take? Working outdoors in a well-ventilated environment is recommended. Ensure clothes and especially boots/shoes are clean and free of fecal material before entering and leaving a site. Disposable boot covers are recommended if shoes cannot be cleaned. Do not eat, drink, or smoke while working around birds. If working in proximity to wild birds, protective gear that can be cleaned or disposed, such as a mask, gloves (rubber, latex or nitrile), boots (preferably rubber), eye protection, and an apron are recommended. Report observations of sick or dead birds to the FWC avian mortality surveillance site. Sick or dead birds observed in colonies of imperiled beach-nesting birds should also be reported to the FWC Regional Conservation Biologist or Shorebird Program Coordinator, in addition to submitting a report online. What should I do if observe an injured or entangled bird? FWC recommends that people avoid handling sick or dead birds. If you must handle an injured or entangled bird, work in a well-ventilated environment, wear disposable gloves, a mask, and shoes or boots that can be cleaned (preferably rubber). Wash well (for at least 30 seconds with soap) after handling any bird or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (apply well and allow to dry before touching anything). Clean clothes and shoes or boots to ensure they are free of fecal material. Disposable boot covers are recommended if shoes cannot be cleaned. Clean equipment with a sanitizing spray (10% bleach solution) or other bird-safe disinfectant (allow to dry after wiping down). Be sure to contact the closest licensed and permitted wildlife rehabber prior to collecting a bird for transport to confirm current protocols for taking in new patient. I work in an area where HPAI cases have been confirmed, or sick or dead birds are being observed in the area where I’m working. Are there extra precautions I should take? Report observations of sick or dead birds to the FWC avian mortality surveillance site. Sick or dead birds observed in colonies of imperiled beach-nesting birds should also be reported to the FWC Regional Conservation Biologist or Shorebird Program Coordinator, in addition to submitting a report online. Working outdoors in a well-ventilated environment is recommended. Do not eat, drink, or smoke while working around birds. Ensure clothes and especially boots/shoes are clean and free of fecal material before moving between sites. Disposable boot covers are recommended if shoes cannot be cleaned. If working in proximity to wild birds, protective gear that can be cleaned or disposed, such as a mask, gloves (rubber, latex, or nitrile), boots (preferably rubber), eye protection, and an apron are recommended. If you drive a vehicle or ATV through a potentially contaminated area (e.g., on beach with carcasses), clean the vehicle well (go to nearest car wash) before or immediately after leaving the area. If possible, do not handle sick or dead birds if you have pet birds or poultry at home. Do not visit a facility with poultry or captive birds within 72 hours of handling sick or dead birds.

The Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA) is a partnership of agencies, non-government organizations, and individuals committed to shorebird and seabird conservation in Florida. FSA partners coordinate their independent work and collaborate to address research, management, education, outreach and public policy needs.

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