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Predator breaks up skimmer nesting site
By WAYNE AYERS
| Article published on Wednesday, July 2, 2008 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/070208_bee-02.jpg) |
| Photo courtesy of JOHNNY FERRELL |
| A peregrine falcon feasts on Belleair Beach. |
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BELLEAIR BEACH – The attack on a colony of 200-plus black skimmers, peacefully resting on the beach near the city’s Morgan Park, came swiftly and without warning. Within seconds, one of the birds was bleeding and near death, in the clutches of the assailant.
Moments later, the entire flock had taken flight, never to return to their carefully roped-off and posted designated nesting area.
The culprit was a fearsome one, even to the imposing black skimmers, recognizable for their long, “scissors” bill and tuxedo-like tail. But the intimidating presence of a couple of hundred birds proved no obstacle to an even bigger predator, who had arrived ready to do damage with its cutting talons and beak.
The attacker was a peregrine falcon, according to Audubon Society volunteer David Hopkins. Falcons are an uncommon sight in this area, but their presence is not unknown, Hopkins said. The attack came one morning in late May, a period when the skimmers had just begun to nest. The falcon, apparently just passing through, was hungry and saw a meal opportunity, Hopkins surmised.
The Audubon Society had roped off the area just a few weeks before, upon deciding that the skimmer colony had apparently chosen the spot as their nesting site for this year. After losing a member in such a traumatic fashion, the skimmers took off as a group. They never came back to Belleair Beach, despite the placing of decoy birds within the enclosure as an enticement.
A condo resident witnessed the attack and took photos. Hopkins said he was told the falcon swept down into the colony and took an adult bird, dragging it to the edge of the enclosure before tearing it apart and eating it. That’s when the entire colony just flew away, he said.
A few days later Audubon Society volunteers noticed an increase in the number of birds at a skimmer colony outside the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores. A similar boost in numbers occurred at a nesting site on a spoil island in the Intracoastal Waterway near the Clearwater Community Sailing Center on Sand Key.
“We think they split up after leaving the Belleair Beach site and wound up joining those colonies,” Hopkins said.
Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary marketing and public relations director Michelle Simoneau said she is proud of the way the community pulled together to provide a secure nesting site for the birds there.
Although falcon attacks on adult skimmers are rare, Hopkins said this was not a first time incident. They may increase as more peregrine falcons pass through the Tampa Bay area, an occurrence Hopkins believes is due to environmental factors.
“The impact of a changing environment is changing their ways, and more of them are coming in,” he said.
Hopkins also said that the number of skimmers in the region has been declining. They are a protected species under federal and state law, but not as yet an endangered species. Harassment of skimmers is a crime once they are on their eggs, Hopkins said.
The skimmers are sitting on their eggs this time of year, and 20 to 25 babies have hatched, according to Simoneau. A lot more chicks are due in the next few days, she said. The young birds will be learning to fly by mid-July and will have flown away by the end of August.
Skimmers are especially disturbed by dogs on the beach, loud noises such as fireworks, and kites, which they see as a large predator bird, Hopkins said. When frightened, the adult birds will often fly away as a group, leaving the eggs and young unprotected.
Though incidents such as the falcon attack are unavoidable and a part of the natural environment, Hopkins said that respect for the nesting birds by humans can greatly enhance their chances to survive and increase.
Volunteer nest protectors needed
Volunteers are needed on Friday, July 4, to help circle the roped off area to provide safety to the newborn chicks as fireworks go off. The parents fly off when the loud sounds erupt, leaving the newborns unprotected. Indian Shores police will be patrolling the area as it is against the law to light fireworks on the beach or to harm the black skimmers or their eggs.
To volunteer, call the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary at 392-4291. Shifts will be from 4 to 10 p.m.
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Article published on Wednesday, July 2, 2008
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