From Audubon Florida
In Summary:
Florida's beaches remain active nesting grounds for species including least terns, black skimmers, Wilson's plovers, snowy plovers, and American oystercatchers during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Audubon Florida warns that fireworks displays can startle adult birds from their nests, increasing the risk of chick mortality and exposing eggs to predators and high temperatures. The organization encourages beachgoers to attend municipal fireworks shows, keep their distance from nesting areas, remove trash, and keep pets leashed.
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Independence Day is a cause for remembrance and celebration. Unfortunately, celebratory fireworks can literally frighten baby birds to death.
Although beachside fireworks shows are entertaining to people, the bursts of color and noise wreak havoc on coastal birds, especially for nesting species. After each fireworks explosion, birds panic and fly from their nests, scattering the chicks and exposing them to predators and heat until their parents return. For this reason, it is better to attend a municipal firework show than deploy store-bought fireworks on the beach.
Related: Roseate Spoonbill nesting rebounds in Florida Bay, Audubon reports.
Debris left by fireworks litter our beaches and nearshore waters and can easily be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals. Hungry chicks nibble on plastic refuse, even ingesting some of the smallest pieces.
For a quick reference guide to the beach-nesting species, click here.
Audubon Florida urges Floridians and visitors to let the birds nest in peace by not deploying personal fireworks on the beach.
Over the July 4 weekend, Audubon Florida’s bird stewards will be out in full force at locations across the state where people and beach-nesting birds comingle. These important ambassadors for nature help coastal visitors learn about the birds to better understand what is happening inside the posted areas.
To make our beaches safer for birds:
- Give nesting birds at least 100 feet of distance or as much as possible. Signs or people will alert you to these areas, but some birds haven’t settled down to start nesting yet and may just look like they are resting in the sand. Please avoid walking through flocks of birds on the upper beach.
- If pets are permitted on beaches, keep them leashed and well away from birds.
- Remove trash and food scraps, which attract predators that will also eat birds’ eggs and/or chicks.
- Do not drive on beach dunes or other nesting areas.
- Attend a municipal fireworks show instead of deploying personal fireworks.
In addition to natural threats such as hurricanes and predators, beach-nesting birds face a suite of other challenges, many of which are human-induced. This includes vehicular traffic, kites, off-leash dogs, getting stepped on, and firework displays on crowded beaches. These disturbances can cause adult birds to abandon their nests or chicks, ultimately leading to baby birds starving, being eaten by predators, or overheating in the sun. This Fourth of July weekend, many birds are still nesting and need this opportunity to successfully raise young this season.
Please be alert: if a bird dive-bombs you, you have gotten too close.
Key Points:
- Fireworks can cause nesting birds to flee their nests, leaving eggs and chicks vulnerable.
- Debris from fireworks may be ingested by birds, sea turtles, and other marine wildlife.
- Florida's beach-nesting birds are still raising young during the July 4 holiday weekend.
- Audubon Florida recommends attending municipal fireworks displays instead of using personal fireworks on beaches.
- Beachgoers can help by staying at least 100 feet away from nesting areas, keeping pets leashed, removing trash, and avoiding dunes and posted nesting zones.
Audubon Florida protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan, reaching millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1900, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive.
