Black Skimmers are one of many shorebird species that form breeding colonies and lay their eggs in small scrapes directly on dunes & beaches. Their species survival strategy is simple: Large numbers in a breeding colony, sometimes mixed, for more lookout eyes, effective egg camouflage, and short incubation\fledgling times to minimize the open exposures.
This strategy worked well until their primary competition became us. Initial negative impact of bird\human conflict was, for the most part, unintentional. There was loss to hunting & egg gathering, but most loss was a consequence of increased beach development and recreational use. And the rats that always come along with us. To paraphrase, decline by a 000s of cuts to the habitat.
Over time, the number of birds lost became apparent and hard to ignore. Even the most casual beachgoing nature lovers were reporting seeing fewer birds, In 2019, a multi sponsor and funded report documented 37% of shorebirds had disappeared since 1970. 87% of Black Skimmers had disappeared. It is estimated that there are only 3,000 individuals remaining in Florida.
Conservation groups & state departments of natural resources have become more active in protecting nesting areas with fencing, signage, & patrols. This is where a disturbing human trait surfaces. It is crassly ignoring public rules if I (the all-important I) think the rules interfere with My – or my Pet’s – ‘right’ to enjoy Myself as I damn well please. More disturbing, is the increasing intentional destruction of the sites to ‘reopen’ the beach to its ‘rightful’ Owners.
A notorious case was thugs using fireworks to vandalize a Black Skimmer nesting site on St Pete Beach, FL in 2021. One whole breeding season of this one of only three dozen remaining nesting colonies was lost just so a few ‘Special’ people could use the beach undeterred by birds and without ‘environmental wackos using the Administrative State to take away their rights to trash the environment’.
There is a reason I like birds more than some people.
in the 35 years we have owned a beach-front place at Ponte Vedra Beach we have seen skimmers only 3 or 4 times and that decades ago . For me they are the most exciting of our shore birds and tragic to read this information .