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Audubon Patrol Hits Beach

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By SUSAN M. GREEN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 25, 2008

RIVERVIEW - The Audubon patrol had been on the water less than 10 minutes Saturday when the first damsel in distress came into view.

On the beach of a spoil island dubbed 2-D hopped a black and white bird with a red bill and a big voice. Carol Cassels, a seasonal warden, cut the motor of the Audubon boat and peered through binoculars at two men in a vessel anchored almost on shore.

"Fishing," she said, in a relieved tone. But then: "Oh, no, he's getting out."

She puttered the boat closer to the scene. The bird's shrill whistles were frantic. One of two men from the anchored boat walked along the edge of the shoreline, preparing to dip a net into the waves that lapped the beach.

"Guys," called Ann Hodgson, coastal island sanctuaries manager for Audubon of Florida, "can you hear that bird chirping down there? That's an adult American oystercatcher, and she has a nest.

"What's happened is you have driven her off her nest. If she's off much longer, her chick will die in the sun."

The men agreed to move with no argument. Hodgson left them with a boater's guide that included information about the importance of island bird nurseries to the survival of such species as terns, black skimmers, oystercatchers, plovers and gulls.

Usually people cooperate, said Cassels and Hodgson, as they hit the waters of Hillsborough Bay for the first day of the Memorial Day weekend, typically one of the biggest boating times of the year.

Most of the islands in Hillsborough Bay are off-limits to people because they provide critical nesting opportunities for coastal birds whose numbers have been steadily dwindling in recent years. The beaches are posted with warning signs, but some people ignore them. Others don't realize the signs refer to the entire island because the poles must be placed above the high-water mark to prevent tides from washing them away, Hodgson said.

Audubon workers regularly patrol the bay's sanctuaries during nesting season, which will extend until about mid-summer, to remind boaters of the no-trespass rules. They can't enforce it, but boaters who care about wildlife will stay 30 to 40 yards away from the islands to avoid flushing birds, Hodgson said.

Open to sunbathers and picnickers is Beer Can Island, where boats clustered Saturday like cars parked around a diner. It's a noisy, crowded place, often littered with trash, and it's understandable that some people might seek the quiet of the forbidden islands, Cassels said. But that can be devastating to the birds, which see people as potential predators.

"It's so much fun for everybody to be out here," Cassels said. "It just all doesn't mix."

Fantasy Island also is open to boaters, except part of the south side that was cordoned off to accommodate an oystercatcher nest. Hodgson was disappointed Saturday to see no sign of the nest, and a pole and some of the twine torn down.

Many of the shorebirds that Audubon keeps tabs on build nests in beach sand or pebbles, relying on camouflage to protect the young. People who leave their boats for a stroll can easily step on nests before they realize they're there, Hodgson said.

The Tampa Port Authority owns 2-D, 3-D and Fishhook Island, all built from material dredged to make or maintain shipping channels. For boaters who won't follow the rules, Audubon typically contacts the port, which in turn may ask state or local law enforcement agencies to step in. Anyone who sees someone intentionally harassing birds can call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).

Audubon has not begun tallying its nesting figures for the year, but Hodgson said she expects the numbers to be down. She said factors besides human disturbance, including weather, predators or diminished foraging opportunities, play a role in the success of a nesting season.

Reporter Susan M. Green can be reached at (813) 865-1566 or sgreen@tampatrib.com.

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