Keep wildlife safe over the holiday weekend
CINDY LANE | SUN
Dolphins are giving birth in Sarasota Bay this time of year;
watch for them and steer clear.
If you go to the beach or go boating over the Fourth of July weekend, watch out for wildlife.
Dolphins are birthing calves this time of year, can’t always get out of the way of boats and are often in shallow water where they can’t dive below a boat. Newborn dolphins lack the skill and experience to avoid boats and have to surface more frequently to breathe than older dolphins. Fatal collisions have been documented in Sarasota Bay; most dolphin injuries from boat strikes have occurred in the weeks surrounding July 4, according to Mote Marine Laboratory.
Slow-moving manatees, mating this time of year, can’t dodge boats either – just look at one and you’ll likely see propeller scars. Comply with slow speed manatee zone signs.
Sea turtles also are mating just offshore before the females come ashore to nest.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring is hiring two off-duty police officers to watch the two staked shorebird nesting areas in Bradenton Beach over the holidays; watch for flightless chicks wandering outside the nesting area.
Keep your distance from wildlife, do not feed wild animals and do not touch them.
Do not set off any exploding, launching or projectile fireworks from the beach or boats; it is illegal, and creates litter that can endanger wildlife.
Turtle Tips
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring offers free Tuesday Turtle Talks each Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Annie Silver Community Center, 103 23rd St. in Bradenton Beach.
No reservations are required for the program, which highlights 35 years of turtle and shorebird nesting history on Anna Maria Island.
Free souvenirs include temporary turtle tattoos and the Flippers and Feathers Activity book. Shirts and hats will be available for purchase.
Doors open at 9:30 a.m. so you can visit with the crew that monitors AMI shorelines every morning.
Turtle Tips
During sea turtle season, May 1 – Oct. 31, please follow these tips:
• Turn off lights visible from the beach and close blinds from sundown to sunrise; lights confuse nesting sea turtles and may cause them to go back to sea and drop their eggs in the water, where they won’t hatch. Light can also attract hatchlings away from the water.
• Don’t use flashlights or camera flashes on the beach at night.
• Remove all objects from the sand from sundown to sunrise; they can deter sea turtles from nesting and disorient hatchlings.
• Fill in the holes you dig in the sand before leaving the beach; they can trap nesting and hatching sea turtles, which cannot live long out of the water.
• Don’t use sky lanterns or fireworks; they litter the beach and Gulf.
• Do not trim trees and plants that shield the beach from lights.
• Never touch a sea turtle; it’s the law. If you see people disturbing turtles, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
Bird Tips
During bird nesting season, March through August, please follow these tips:
• Never touch a shorebird chick, even if it’s wandering outside a staked nesting area.
• Teach kids not to chase birds – bird parents may abandon nests if they’re disturbed.
• Don’t feed birds – it encourages them to fly at people aggressively and is not good for their health.
• If birds are screeching and flying at you, you’re too close.
• Avoid posted bird nesting areas and use designated walkways to the beach.
• Keep pets away from bird nesting areas.
• Keep the beach clean; food scraps attract predators such as raccoons and crows to the beach, and litter can entangle birds and other wildlife.
• If you see people disturbing nesting birds, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline a
