SANIBEL, Fla — Beachgoers weren’t the only ones flocking to the reopened Sanibel Causeway over the weekend - least terns are back for nesting season, and they’ve clearly claimed their slice of sand. Entire sections of the beach were roped off for them.
Fox 4’s Austin Schargorodski spoke with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation about how they’re protecting these state-threatened birds.
Watch what the SCCF is doing to protect the Least Terns:
SCCF says about 200 least terns have landed on the Causeway - and they’ve spotted at least 20 nests. They say these tiny, migratory shorebirds nest in colonies, and their history here stretches back decades.
SCCF shorebird biologist Audrey Albrecht says they first nested on the Causeway in the 1960s but vanished by the 1990s—until a major storm actually helped bring them back.
“Flash forward to 2023 after Hurricane Ian when they started putting all this beautiful sand back out, it once again looked like beautiful habitat for these birds and they came back. They’ve been nesting here the past two years,” Albrecht said.
To help them thrive, SCCF, in conjunction with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Lee County, roped off their nesting areas. Albrecht says it’s crucial - because their eggs are nearly invisible in the sand.
“Their eggs are small and speckled and blend in perfectly with the sand so it can be very easy to step on them. So, we have to give them a safe buffer so that we’re not flushing them off their nest or allowing predators to come in or allowing the heat to actually cook the eggs in the sand. We give them a safe space for the eggs to incubate and for the chicks to be raised,” Albrecht said.
SCCF says it’s inviting volunteers to help educate beachgoers and protect nests. Albrecht says the nesting season lasts just a few months—eggs hatch in about three weeks, and chicks fledge in four to five.
Until then, their message is simple: enjoy the beach - just respect the ropes and share the shore.
