Mike Salisbury, UR - Progress

So far I have gathered some interesting data: Site C (no beach driving/less disturbances) has the
greatest species diversity. Site A (beach driving), on average, has the highest gull/tern numbers, and Site B (usually crowded/no beach driving) has been a wildcard.

I’ve noticed sargassum seaweed can affect species number and diversity. On Tuesday November 4^th there was quite a bit of sargassum weed at Site C and few disturbances. This resulted in 32 shorebirds and 11 gulls/terns. 

Here is a picture of Site C from November 4^th. It’s hard to see any birds in this picture because of their size and color, but that day/site had one of the highest numbers of shorebirds yet.

Site C November 4th

Sargassum 

Here are a few observations I’ve made:

• Gulls/terns will flock where there is food and space. As mentioned last week, gulls/terns think of food when they see humans, so these birds have a tendency to flock near humans if there is a comfortable amount of space.
• Shorebirds are skittish, so they are more sensitive to disturbances.
• Wading birds are rare to see on the beach compared to shorebirds and gulls/terns.

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Comments from last week:

Deb 'n Paul

Are there any local conservation efforts to 'put a bird on it'? meaning--are there any conservation efforts by local /government organizations directed towards helping beach-loving birds?

Florida Fish and Wildlife developed The Florida Bird Conservation Initiative, which has advanced bird conservation in Florida; this includes the bird types I have been researching. Florida Fish and Wildlife has several conservation programs that are worth checking out.

Click here for more information