Beach bird nests destroyed by motorcycle on Siesta Key

SIESTA KEY, Fla. -- A motorcycle has torn through a protected species habitat on Siesta Key, according to wildlife officials.

It happened in an area of the Siesta Key public beach Monday night. The Audubon Society tells ABC 7 that 13 Least Tern nests were destroyed, and 12 Black Skimmer nests were disturbed, along with a pair of Snowy Plovers.

The colony was clearly marked off with posts and signs, but Florida Fish and Wildlife investigators say a motorcycle drove right through it.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

As for the birds, the Audubon Society says the Least Terns are becoming aggressive and dive-bombing people because of the incident, and the snowy plovers are sticking it out despite their nests being disrupted.

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RARE BIRD SPECIES: Beach Closures to Protect Rare Birds

VPG | Apr 05, 2014 | Comments 0

LAMAR, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are asking visitors to John Martin, Adobe Creek and Nee Gronda Reservoirs for help in protecting two rare shorebirds that nest in Colorado.

As in previous years, parks and wildlife managers will be closing access to some shoreline areas to protect the nests of least terns and piping plovers. The closures, which may be several acres in size, will run from early April through mid-August.

“These are little birds that are really good at blending into sandy shorelines,” explained Mike Smith, Conservation Biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife in the Lamar area. “We’ll have volunteers and staff biologists marking off the nesting areas, but we also ask visitors to be on the lookout for their hard-to-see nest scrapes and eggs.”

The least tern is a small, swallow-like bird with black outer wing feathers that is sometimes seen diving head-first into the water after fish. The smallest of the North American terns, it can be identified by its distinctive black crown, white forehead and black-tipped yellow bill. Both Colorado and the federal government have designated the least tern as an endangered species.

The piping plover is a tiny shorebird with pale brown plumage and a black bar across the forehead. Piping plovers typically nest on sandy lakeshore beaches or on river sandbars that are free of vegetation, relying on their cryptic coloration as camouflage from predators. The piping plover is listed as a threatened species by the state of Colorado and under the federal Endangered Species Act.

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