Over 2,700 birds observed during Global Shorebird Counts
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation shorebird team recently walked up and down the islands’ beaches and documented every bird it saw as part of the Global Shorebird Counts.
From Sept. 1-6, the team recorded 2,752 birds, including 2,712 seabirds and shorebirds. The annual concentrated observation and re-sighting effort will help scientists estimate species’ abundance, distribution and population trends. The counts included 30 bird species — 27 of which were seabird and shorebird species — and the most numerous species were:
– Sanderlings
– Ruddy turnstones
– Willets
– Laughing gulls
– Royal terns
“The beginning of September is a particularly interesting time to survey birds on Sanibel and Captiva, as migrating shorebirds begin showing up around this time,” SCCF shorebird technician Aaron White said. “The short-term migrants, such as black terns and common terns, use our beaches as a stopover location to eat, rest and regain their energy to continue their migration journey. The long-term migrants, like royal terns and sandwich terns, use our beaches as wintering grounds to feed their babies and re-energize before the upcoming nesting season.”
Up to 45 shorebird species can be seen at some point during the year on the islands.
A royal tern named 0LT is one memorable individual sighted during this year’s Global Shorebird Counts. 0LT comes from a human-made nesting area in Fort Wool, Virginia, which was created after concerns about construction on the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel in southeast Virginia. First spotted in December on Captiva, 0LT has now been encountered several times in Southwest Florida.
“It’s encouraging that birds are able to nest and produce offspring despite the loss of their original nesting site,” SCCF shorebird biologist Audrey Albrecht said. “We look forward to seeing 0LT this next year or two.”
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