BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. — Four least tern chicks were fitted with tracking bands for officials to keep track of their population and migration patterns.
The birds ranged in age from three to four weeks old and have not begun to fly yet. During the banding process, each bird was weighed, the length of their bill and wing were measured and all data was recorded in state and federal databases, according to a news release from Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.
The nonprofit reported that a colony of least terns began nesting at the beginning of May and has since grown to include 45 birds with 22 nests.
In Florida, they are listed as a threatened species. The Florida Fire and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the birds have lost extensive nesting habitat to beach development and increased human activity.
The nonprofit said you can help protect the least tern colony and other shorebirds with these recommendations:
- Keep your distance. If birds become agitated or leave their nests you are too close!! A general rule is to stay at least 300 feet away from a nest.
- Respect posted areas. Avoid posted nesting and resting areas and use designated walkways.
- Never intentionally force birds to fly. When birds are chased or disturbed, they use the energy they need to reserve for nesting and migration.
- Keep pets away from nesting areas. Even well-behaved pets can be perceived as a threat to birds and will disturb them. Keep cats indoors.
- Keep the beach clean and do not feed wildlife. Food scraps attract predators such as raccoons and crows to the beaches. Litter on beaches can entangle birds.
- If you see people disturbing nesting birds, gently remind them how their actions may hurt birds' survival. If they continue to disturb nesting birds, please call and report their activities to FWC's Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922)
If you see a banded bird, report it to reportband.gov and make sure you take note of the date, time, location, species, the leg with the band, the color and order of bands and if you can spot the alphanumeric code.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring also said sea turtle nesting has been slowing down while hatches have been picking up. During the past week, there were 28 nests and the organization captured pictures of one hatching straggler making it's way into the water.
