Birds, turtles, other wildlife hit hard across Sarasota
By Shelby Webb
Herald-Tribune Intern
Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 4:10 p.m.
LONGBOAT KEY - Squinting into an onslaught of wind and sand whipped up by Tropical Storm Debby, Lou Newman pointed to a flock of about 100 birds huddled on a sand dune on Longboat Key this week.
"These are all that's left," Newman said, a hint of dismay in his voice. "It's a huge loss."
The skimmer colony — which numbered at 450 adults and about 100 chicks before the storm — was culled dramatically by Tropical Storm Debby.
While the storm mostly caused inconvenience and some minor tree or flooding damage for Southwest Florida residents this week, the main victims of the storm were seabirds and marine life that reside in coastal waters.
Unhatched sea turtles and beach-nesting birds were the worst hit.
In Tampa, a mother manatee was found dead in the waters off Bayshore Boulevard, and her two calves swam ashore Tuesday along the flooded road. Members of the Tampa Police Marine Patrol called Lowry Park Zoo and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to help rescue the baby manatees.
Sea turtles across the region were devastated by the storm, mainly eggs and newborn turtles.
Before the storm hit the beaches, Mote Marine counted 1,367 loggerhead turtle nests sprinkled from Longboat to Venice last week; Sarasota County officials said there were 2,600 turtle nests overall in the county.
Though it will take several days to assess the specific number of nests destroyed or harmed, Laird Wreford, Sarasota County coastal resources manager, said most of the nests were probably washed out or at least sustained damage.
However, Laird said, the adult turtles were likely able to ride the storm out. "It is part of their natural adaptation," he said. "So they're able to withstand some events like this."
But beach erosion resulting from the storm will take a toll on many creatures that rely on sand to nest or hunt.
The South Jetty in Venice was washed over, and across the region beaches continued to deteriorate.
"We've seen quite a bit of moderate to severe erosion," Laid said, adding that 10 to 15 feet of sand had been washed away in some areas.
The Longboat Key black skimmer colony — popular among wildlife enthusiasts and birders on the key — was a case study in how a big storm like Debby can devastate sea life.
On Sunday afternoon, Newman — a retired veterinarian turned wildlife photographer — went to south Longboat to check on the skimmers. He was shocked by what he saw.
Only about 100 of the 450 adult birds remained, and sat grouped behind an abandoned clubhouse.
More than 100 chicks and eggs, which had just began to hatch about two weeks before the storm, were caught in the surf and buried by wind-propelled sand. Live chicks were killed and eggs were destroyed.
"It was carnage out here," said Bonnie Samuelsen, a member of the Sarasota Audubon Society who also checked on the skimmers.
Black skimmers are one of the three main types of seabirds that nest on area beaches, along with least terns and snowy plovers.
The skimmers are few in number and are close to becoming a threatened species, Samuelsen said. They are not able to produce enough young to sustain the species, and from 2005 until 2011, not a single skimmer chick was able to survive to maturity.
"Generations from now, people may not be able to see these birds," she said.
The chicks not caught in the surf or buried in sand mostly fell prey to laughing gulls, Newman said, which were eagerly waiting for the babies to poke their heads out of the sand and water.
Only about four of the estimated 100 chicks were able to make their way to the protection of the group of adults.
After seeing the toll Debby took on the skimmers, Newman and Samuelsen felt compelled to act.
They were able to find 32 chicks still alive, and a representative from Wildlife Inc., a rescue group on Anna Maria Island, took the chicks to its rehabilitation center.
Though the winds slowed on Monday, the skimmers still huddled on a sand dune to keep from being blown away.
0 comments:
Post a Comment