BRADENTON BEACH – At a colony of 45 least terns, eight chicks vary in ages from one to four weeks and the oldest chicks are gaining their flight feathers and practicing flying.
On July 8, shorebird monitor Kathy Doddridge witnessed the first chick taking several solo flights over the Gulf of Mexico.
According to a release from Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, the remaining chicks are extremely mobile and can be seen using the “Chick Crossing” signs as shade.
“Their tiny footprints indicate they are moving outside the enclosure and even down to the water line,” according to the release. “Beachgoers are asked to watch for chicks that may decide to explore outside the posted area. Do not pick them up and move them. Allow the least tern adults to call the chicks back into the enclosure.”
The colony has 22 nests and three birds are sitting on eggs. Those eggs are expected to hatch by the end of July.
Chicks are using both washed-up seaweed and chick huts as shelter. The chick huts also protect the chicks from predators such as fish crows and laughing gulls. With assistance from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), fish crow effigies were installed inside the enclosure to deter crows from stealing eggs from the remaining nests.
Members of Turtle Watch and the Manatee County Audubon Society volunteered as beach stewards over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. They educated hundreds of visitors and residents about the importance of protecting these threatened shorebirds.
