Where the Least Terns Nest

Can you spot the Least Tern chick hiding in this photo? 
It's our little one out on Siesta Key.

With little undisturbed habitat left on beaches, Least Terns are using flat, gravel rooftops for nesting. A threatened species in the state of Florida, Least Terns are also the smallest of all terns in the country.

This summer approximately 100 Least Tern chicks fledged on the rooftop of the Carlton water treatmeat plant. It was a hugely successful season. Many thanks to Ellen McLean, along with Frank DeSteno and Nancy Edmondson, who inspected the roof each week.

Ellen reported the progress to us with such pride—like a new mom.

Since our beaches were unproductive for nesting Least Terns and Black Skimmers, this was a ray of hope in a gloomy outlook. No colonies on either South or North Lido, but a miracle occurred on Siesta Key: One Least Tern nested on the beach near Access 7, the first tern nesting on Siesta Key in over 30 years!

The Florikan roof near the Celery Fields produced 30-40 Least Tern chicks, another success for which we are grateful!

We thank everyone who cares about this special bird and especially those who volunteered their time to look after the nesting areas this summer.

Siesta Key Beach Nesting Successful, Thanks to the Efforts of Many

New Snowy Plover Nest on Siesta Key Beach,
taken by Claire Smithers

Wow...from this summer, we see that so much is possible when people who care come together to make a difference. Thanks to a fabulous group of volunteers and organizations, we were able to help seven (7) Snowy Plover chicks and one (1) Least Tern chick to fledge this year. Several factors contributed to the success:

• Sarasota County (and the BOCC) allowed us to close the pedestrian path from the Access 7 parking lot. Go Sarasota County!  We are grateful.
• Nighttime security guard on duty at Accesses 7 & 8 to limit after hours shenanigans; funded by Parks & Rec. How awesome is that?
• Volunteers in the parking lot spoke to many folks, handed out brochures and did a fab PR job for the birds. It's all about forming new friendships with potential advocates, and of course, education.
• Many volunteers located the chicks in the morning and then trailed the chicks on the beach (an exceedingly hot and arduous task, especially on holiday weekends) to keep folks away from them, also educating them in the process—another fab PR job.
• Success in limiting beach raking in the nursery area.  
• Buffering nesting zones, some on private property (with permission). 
• Many volunteers and organizations helped in this effort, and they should all be very proud of what they did. We give great thanks to an incredible team.

Growing Snowy Plover on Siesta Key Beach by Claire Herzog

People who made this possible:

Jean Adams, Susan & Nick Almario, Nancy Bangham, Sarasota Board of County Commissioners, Marie Brooks-Demaud, Julie Byrne, Tony Damian, Judy DeMersman, Nancy Douglass, Jeanne Dubi, Nancy Edmondson, Lynda Eppinger, Jerris Foote, Ann & Rima Gasparini, Cheryl Gladdie, Rick Greenspun, Mary Heinlen & daughter, Rachel Herman, Claire Herzog, Stu Hills, Karen Jensen, Ann Kaplan, Wilma Katz, Dianne Kennedy, Marianne Korosy, Barbara Loveridge, Bob & Catherine Luckner, Peg Magee, Nick Marin, Kristen Mazzarella, Maria Elisabeth Mantius, John McCarthy, Dick Miles, Linda & Rich Moreau, Robert Pasquali, Ruth Ellen Peipert, Jonathan Poyner, Kathi Rader-Gibson, Penney Rist, Barry Rossheim, Bonnie Samuelsen, Pat Sharp, Kyle Shenk, Andrea & Mike Shlasko, Carolyn Smithers, Claire Smithers, Michelle van Deventer, Jennifer Vreeland, Paula Wagner, Gayle Wardner, Deurita Wieczorek, John Whitehead, Roxanne Williamson, Allan Worms.

Organizations that made this possible:
Sarasota County Parks & Rec, Gulf View Condominiums, Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, Siesta Key Association, Beachaven Condos, Mark Clibbard (beach raker), Coastal Wildlife Club, and Sarasota Audubon. Many thanks to all the beachgoers who stopped, looked, listened and learned. Many did not know that these birds nested on our beaches.


Now how is that for a community-wide effort? We give our thanks to everyone who helped these special birds survive. It's been a great summer thanks to you.

-Jeanne Dubi, Sarasota Audubon Society President