Humans likely caused abandonment of shorebird nests on Longboat Key

Shorebird nests on Longboat Key took a hit in the latter half of the nesting season. 

According to Sarasota Shorebird Steward Coordinator Emily Briner, the Longboat least tern nests have now been abandoned, leaving behind eggs and the chance for more chicks to hatch and become adults. 

Briner said she first noticed something was off with the nests a couple of weeks ago. For most nests from Longboat to Lido, she checks on the colonies once a week. Sometimes, though, she was able to check on Longboat’s nests twice a week, which is when she noticed the downy chicks' low survival rate. 

As she described it, the chicks were not turning into feathered chicks — the next stage in infancy for avian chicks — but were instead disappearing. Further, Briner noticed a decrease in nest counts, from about 32 to 6 over recent weeks. 

This, along with some canine tracks around the nests, first led her to think there was predation occurring at the sites, possibly from a coyote. Briner set up game cameras around the nests to try to catch the cause on camera. 

“There were a lot of variables at play,” Briner said. “One of the biggest ones being there were a lot of people seen on those game cams moving through the site.” 

There were plenty of eggs still on the nests that could have been successful, but now because of human disturbance, the nests were abandoned by the adult least terns, according to Briner. 

If adults are off the nest for just 15 minutes, the eggs can overheat and be unsuccessful, Briner said. Plus, if there aren’t adults to protect the eggs, they become more susceptible to predation. 

“People were a factor and one of the reasons why this colony is no longer here,” Briner said. “There were plenty of eggs that could have incubated, that should have incubated.”

There is some good news, though: Seven chicks from the Longboat least tern colonies were able to fledge successfully and become independent adults. 

Further down the beach in North Lido, Briner said the black skimmer colonies have had much success and are now doing well in their second round of nesting. 

In South Lido, the least terns are flourishing, Briner said. There have been over 250 chicks and over 100 fledged so far, and Briner’s team has been able to see chicks from all stages of life in those colonies. 

Though shorebird nesting season is starting to cool off, the season doesn’t officially end until Sept. 1. As the season winds down, Briner encourages people to continue to be mindful of the shorebirds in the area and to not walk through posted sites or colonies. 

“Even if the nesting site goes away, even if they don't see eggs on the ground, even if we don't have flightless chicks on the ground, they are still a protected species. So we still need to give them their space,” Briner said.