Nest Friends

By THERESA BLACKWELL

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 16, 2000

When birds and people flock together, as they do on bay area beaches, the birds lose. Wildlife lovers hope to protect plovers, oystercatchers and other birds on the edge.

TIERRA VERDE -- An American oystercatcher was nesting on the sand at Shell Key when danger approached: a bird lover with binoculars hanging from her neck.

The woman was trudging along the bank, heading straight for the nest, when she heard a clamor of warnings from other bird enthusiasts and stopped in her tracks.

"Oh, I didn't see it," she said, finally noticing the nest.

That's just the trouble. It's difficult for even experienced bird watchers to notice the birds nesting in scrapes in the sand. And it's nearly impossible to see the camouflaged eggs and hatchlings once their parents are off the nest.

As the summer season gets into full swing and people pack the Tampa Bay beaches, four bird species -- the American oystercatcher, the least tern, the black skimmer and the snowy plover -- are struggling to survive just past the high tide mark.

An American oystercatcher protects her sandy nest, which contains two eggs, on Shell Key.

These birds prefer to nest right in the middle of beach blanket bingo. Bird lovers say human activity, combined with natural predators, puts them in peril.

"These four birds are all the poster species for wildlife on the edge," said Rich Paul, manager of the Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries for Audubon of Florida. The group surveys bird populations on islands in Tampa Bay and works to protect them.

"They live on the edge of Florida and on the edge of existence. They will survive only because people make room for them."

They are vulnerable for many reasons.

Their peak nesting season, mid-May through August, happens to be the time when the beaches are most crowded. The parents are easily scared off their nests by running dogs or by people strolling past.

"If a dog's been on a boat for a while, they like to run, and one dog can do a lot of damage in a bird rookery," said Ken Alvarez, a biologist with the Florida Park Service.

Once the parent is frightened off the nest, the hot summer sun cooks the eggs and the young become dehydrated, or waiting gulls and crows swoop in for the eggs or hatchlings.

The small speckled eggs are hard to see in the sand, shells and pebbles on which they rest. The tiny hatchlings may think their camouflage protects them from predators, but human feet find them.

The least terns and black skimmers nest in colonies. When a dog or person intrudes, the colony often divides in two. The smaller colonies are more vulnerable to predators.

Some least terns and a few black skimmers and American oystercatchers have turned to nesting on flat, gravel roofs, with mixed results. This act of desperation presents a whole new set of dangers, including flooding, intense heat, long falls and owls.

Volunteers have tried to create safe places for the nesting birds by roping off small areas and posting signs so people won't walk through them. The hard part is teaching the birds to stay in the roped-off places.

"Most of the time, they pick some bad spots. I could really set them up nice if they would just listen, but they don't," said Ron Baltrunas, a member of the Clearwater Audubon Society.

Nesting birds along the beaches are easily trampled by people and dogs. To help protect their tenuous habitat, Rita Stoermercq of New Port Richey and her daughter-in-law, Erin Estercq, of Clearwater, tie string and flagging to the bird nesting signs on Shell Key, near Fort De Soto.

The birds might nest on any beach, but some are safer than others. Tampa Port Authority Island 3D, a large spoil island in Hillsborough Bay, had the largest colony of black skimmers in the area last year, and 2D, a similar island, had a number of American oystercatcher nests. People are not allowed on these islands during nesting season.

Three Rooker Bar, just north of Honeymoon Island, and Shell Key, just north of Fort De Soto Park in southern Pinellas County, are also major nesting islands. People are welcome except in posted bird nesting areas. Other important nesting areas in Pinellas are Anclote Key, Honeymoon Island, Caladesi Island, Sand Key Park, Fort De Soto Park and Egmont Key.

Of the four species, the black skimmer is the easiest to spot. A fairly big bird at 18 inches, it is black and white with an orange and black bill. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lists it as a species of special concern, which means it is in danger of becoming threatened. The commission estimates that 1,085 pairs are in the Tampa Bay area. That's more than 60 percent of Florida's beach-nesting skimmers.

The least tern is a little harder to spot. At 9 inches, it's the smallest tern in the world. It wears a Batmanlike mask and has a white forehead, black crown and yellow bill. Its back and wings are silvery and it has a white underside and a forked tail.

As bird lovers waited at the Merry Pier on Pass-A-Grille to board a Shell Key shuttle on a recent Sunday morning, a least tern flitted by. They can often be seen over water, hovering and then diving for small fish.

"As little as they are, they just dive straight down. They crack me up," said Barbara Isaacson, a St. Petersburg Audubon Society member who organizes Shell Key volunteers. The volunteers go out every two weeks to make sure posts and signs are in place.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lists the least tern as threatened, which means it could become endangered, the last stop before extinction. The commission estimates that 157 pairs are in the Tampa Bay area.

There are so few snowy plovers left in Tampa Bay that it takes a trained eye to find them. At 6 inches, it is the smallest and lightest-colored plover in Florida. It is pale brown or gray on top and white underneath, with a short black bill and dark gray legs. When breeding, the male has a black patch on its forehead and behind its eyes and a black ring part of the way around its neck.

The snowy plover is listed as threatened; there are about 170 pairs in the state. As many as 10 may be in the bay area.

"In my opinion, that's the bird on the Florida Gulf Coast that's closest to local extinction," said Paul, the Audubon of Florida official.

On a recent Sunday on Shell Key, a snowy plover was seen running in short bursts on the beach. A male, his mate was not in sight. Another pair is nesting in the brush just above the Honeymoon Island dog beach. On a recent afternoon there, four big dogs walked with leashes and one chunky little rottweiler puppy waddled close to its owner.

Honeymoon Island is also home to about six American oystercatchers. They are easy to identify with their long, bright orange bills and white patches on their wings. About the size of a black skimmer at 19 inches, the American oystercatcher adult is mostly black and dark brown above, with white below.

The American oystercatcher is listed as a species of special concern. Paul estimates there are only 300 pairs in Florida, with 120 pairs in the Tampa Bay area.

On a recent afternoon, a solitary American oystercatcher was seen pecking at the sand near the parking lot at Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area.

The oystercatcher uses its bill to paralyze the muscles that oysters use to shut their shells. Then they poke their bills inside and feast on the oysters. The young stay with their parents until they learn the skills needed to open shellfish.

They tend to reside in solitary nests, precariously close to the water, like the one on Shell Key.

Shell Key volunteers did their best to protect the American oystercatcher nest that the bird-lover nearly stepped on. They quickly moved all the stakes, signs, twine and flags so they would encompass the nest. Meanwhile, the oystercatcher and her mate paced nervously nearby.

Seconds after the job was completed, the bird settled back on the nest and its two small eggs. Mission accomplished.

Lee Fox, a dedicated sea bird rescuer who lives in Tierra Verde, said she hopes people will observe the signs warning them away from posted nesting areas.

"It's only a few months out of the year. It's worth it so that their grandchildren can see these birds," she said.

Theresa Blackwell is a writer and photographer who lives in Safety Harbor.

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