Wingspan | May 2026

Wingspan

St. Petersburg Audubon Society’s Monthly Newsletter

May 2026

The Shorebirds are Nesting!

In early April, American Oystercatchers AE and Archie embarked upon their fourth year of nesting on Ft DeSoto Beach, laying three eggs in a new location near the hook of Outback Key. The Oystercatchers’ most vulnerable period spans from the laying of the first egg to the fledging of the last chick, approximately two months. AE and Archie have proven to be skilled, attentive, cooperative parents and are fiercely protective and territorial. Ft DeSoto Rangers expanded the posted area, which rapidly became a magnet for Least Terns and Wilson’s Plovers looking to create their own nesting scrapes. Volunteer shorebird stewards, under the supervision of Audubon Florida’s Mandi Ferris, monitored the site, providing education to beachgoers and boaters and redirecting dogs to the Dog Park, near Bay Pier.

The forces of nature are unpredictable, however, and on the evening of April 25, a “sneaker wave” washed away the Oystercatchers’ nest and the nests of several Least Tern pairs. Following the event, AE and Archie appeared to be searching for their eggs, and subsequently, they were observed to be mating again, a good indication that a replacement nest is on the way. The Least Terns and Wilson’s Plovers also seem undeterred, and even a Snowy Plover has been spotted nearby.

For more information: Become a Beach Steward!
Additional locations: St Pete Beach, Redington Shores, Three Rooker Island, Longboat Key, Lido Key, & Siesta Key
Volunteers are also needed to monitor shorebirds nesting on gravel rooftops!

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Field Trips

Boyd Hill First Saturday Bird Walk
May
Leader: Paul Waton

Saturday, May 2, 2026
8:00AM-10:00AM

Location
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve
1101 Country Club Way S
St Petersburg, FL 33705

Meet in front of the Nature Center at 7:45AM; walk will start at 8:00AM.
Walk is on dirt trails and boardwalks.
What to Bring: Hat, binoculars, insect repellant, sunscreen, water
Public Restrooms: Located in the Nature Center

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Ft DeSoto Park
Leader: Pete Plage

Tuesday, May 5, 2026
8:00AM-11:00AM

Location: Ft DeSoto Park | Park Map
3500 Pinellas Bayway South
Tierra Verde, FL 33715
Where to meet: Headquarters parking lot, by the flagpole. We will drive to various sites in the park, walking mostly on hard, unpaved surfaces.
What to Bring: Hat, binoculars, insect repellant, sunscreen, water
Parking: $6/vehicle|Ft DeSoto Park Pay Station Map
Annual Passes for Ft DeSoto, Fred Howard, and Sand Key
Public Restrooms: Throughout the park

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Collegiate Scientists

2026 Gabe Vargo Grant Recipients
This year, SPAS awarded grants to three undergraduates for research projects on Black Skimmers, the threatened shorebirds that nest in colonies on Gulf Coast beaches:

Gale Raichart is a rising junior at the University of South Florida,
St Petersburg, majoring in Biology, with a concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary Sciences. Gale is our Student Field Trip Chair and has
led several trips.
Amelia Swiecki is a rising senior at Eckerd College, with a double
major in Environmental Studies and Biology and a minor in
Environmental and Nature Filmmaking.
Rowan Byrne is a rising senior at the University of South Florida,
St. Petersburg, with a major in Environmental Science and Policy and a
minor in Biology. In addition, Rowan is a Conservation Leadership
Intern with St. Pete Audubon.

Rowan Byrne recently completed data collection and analysis for his senior honors thesis. Here is a summary of his fascinating investigation:

Beach renourishment is a controversial solution to coastal erosion; while many consider it necessary, citing the economic value of our beaches, there is a significant body of research pointing to the idea that renourishment causes environmental harm. Studies have found that renourishment may change the physical properties of the sand, which in turn affects sand-dwelling invertebrates, also known as infauna, a major food source for shorebirds.

The present study evaluated the impact of beach renourishment on the Sanderling, a native migratory shorebird, by observing its feeding behavior at Indian Rocks Beach, which was renourished in December, 2025, Madeira Beach, which has never been renourished, and Treasure Island Beach, in an area that was not part of the recent post-hurricane renourishment project but was renourished in 2019. While Sanderlings foraged in the intertidal zone at these three locations, frequency of feeding attempts and number of successful versus unsuccessful attempts were recorded. Sand quality and infauna diversity and density were also measured.

The results indicate that untouched Madeira Beach is a better location for foraging Sanderlings than either of the beaches that have been renourished. Whereas Madeira Beach has coarse sand, allowing it to host a larger number of polychaetes (marine worms that are a preferred food for Sanderlings), Indian Rocks Beach has much finer sand and an infaunal community composed mainly of coquina clams. Treasure Island has coarse sand similar to that of Madeira Beach but a low density of all infauna. At Madeira Beach, Sanderlings spent less time searching for food and had a higher ratio of successful feeding attempts to unsuccessful ones.

These differences suggest the need for further research into the relative advantages and drawbacks of beach renourishment and its multi-faceted effect on the Gulf coastline.
Rowan Byrne

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April Reflections

Is it a Sharpie or is it a Cooper’s? That was a question hotly debated by John Ficken and his group of 28 during First Saturday at Boyd Hill. Sharp-shinned Hawks are less common than Cooper’s Hawks in Tampa Bay, especially during late spring and summer, when they head north to breed. Their plumage is similar to that of Cooper’s, but they are smaller and have more squared-off tails. They have small feet and thin legs, hence the name Sharp-shinned.
Photos: Sharp-Shinned Hawk and Blue-Winged Teal|John Ficken

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John Ficken led a fascinating April 11 field trip around his favorite home birding locale, Crescent Lake Park. The Purple Martins were very active around their gourd arrays, and Pete Plage reported that there were 11 nests to date. A few Lesser Scaups, Palm Warblers, and Yellow-rumped Warblers were noted to be lingering here at their winter location. The wading birds, such as this Tri-colored Heron, took advantage of the lush habitat to forage, and Nancy Schauer spotted a Red-bellied Woodpecker checking out a potential nest site in a tree hollow.
Photos: Male & Female Purple Martin, Martin in flight, Tri-colored Heron,
Red-bellied Woodpecker|Donna Sperber

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We had a fun day and beautiful weather for the 4/14/26 Circle-B-Bar tram tour of Banana Creek Marsh in Lakeland, FL. We mostly saw wading and shore birds, but the highlights were a pair of Sandhill Cranes and TWO Barred Owlets!
Francesca Di Cosmo

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4/18/26|It is always fun when St. Pete Audubon gets together with the Eckerd College Bird Club (a Campus Audubon Chapter)! We began with a flock of Magnificent Frigatebirds circling overhead and an Osprey with chicks. Every wading bird was in brilliant plumage. Some other fun sightings included Chimney Swifts and a flock of Cedar Waxwings.
33 species total! _________________________

In the face of decreasing wetlands and declining population of the native apple snail, the resourceful Everglade Snail Kite moved northward and adapted to feeding on an invasive, exotic snail found in a wide variety of wet habitats. On the evening of 4/14, Eckerd College Professor Hilary Flower captivated the SPAS and Friends of Boyd Hill crowd with highlights of the Snail Kite’s recent population recovery and signed copies of her new book, The Kite and the Snail.
Book is available through Amazon, other online vendors, and UFPress

April 25 was the Bird Stewarding with St. Pete Audubon event! St. Pete Audubon’s Beth Forys, Lynne Harding, and Eve Waterman discussed how to steward at the Ft. De Soto Bird Sanctuary and the Outback Oystercatcher posted area. We saw many nesting and migratory birds, including American Avocets in breeding plumage! If you would like to come out for a few stewarding shifts - just sign up here:
Become a Bird Steward!

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Upcoming Events

Click here for a full description of field trips and programs

SPAS Field Trips

Boyd Hill First Saturday Walk|Saturday, 6/6/26, 8-10AM|Pete Plage
Boyd Hill First Saturday Walk|Saturday, 7/4/26, 8-10AM|JoAnna Clayton

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Education

The vision of benefactor Dr. Harold Albers, Teacher Ecology Camp is a science camp for educators which combines presentations from the local scientific community with practical in-the-field experience. Teacher Ecology Camp is presented at no charge to educators in collaboration with Sensing Nature biologists & environmental educators, Jeanne Murphy and Brian Lane.
Registration link, when available, will appear on SPAS website.

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In the News|Environmental Advocacy

Following months of controversy, Country Thunder Music Festival, scheduled for May 8-10 at the Tradewinds Resort on St Pete Beach, has been relocated to Coachman Park in Clearwater. Because the dates coincide with nesting season for threatened sea turtles and Black Skimmers, objections were raised by SPAS, represented by President Beth Forys and Conservation Chair Lisa Reich, Audubon Florida, Coastal Wildlife Advocacy Group, and many other concerned residents and citizens. Ultimately, the festival organizers were unable to obtain permits from Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, both of which were necessary for a City of St Pete Beach permit.
Reflecting on the outcome, Country Thunder executive director Kim Blevins put it this way: Clearwater offers the infrastructure and "community partnership needed to bring the event to life the right way." Thus, the festival wins, the turtles and shorebirds win, and hopefully Tradewinds and St Pete Beach will win by bringing smaller, more environmentally-sensitive events to their city in the future.
Just as the Country Thunder dilemma was wrapping up, SPAS President Beth Forys and Audubon Florida Executive Director Julie Wraithmell were called upon again for official statements regarding Todd Wiseman, Jr’s intention to film sections of his A Land Remembered series on East Beach of Ft DeSoto. The project called for hundreds of livestock, heavy equipment, construction of a fort, and a large crew during several weeks in May, nesting season for American Oystercatchers, Wilson’s Plovers, Snowy Plovers, and Least Terns, all protected species. Dunes and native plant species are also protected at Ft DeSoto, where even dogs are only allowed in one area near Bay Pier. After much public outcry and a flood of emails to Pinellas County Commissioners, the film company withdrew its request and will pursue other options for filming the proposed scenes. Summing up, Beth Forys said, “We hope he films his show somewhere in Florida, but ideally a place suitable for livestock and vehicles. We look forward to watching A Land Remembered. Thank you to everyone who helped with this effort!”
City Council Member Gina Driscoll, a vocal proponent of environmental stewardship, is planning to recommend that St Petersburg become a Bird Sanctuary City, prioritizing the safety and preservation of birds and their habitats and making it illegal to hunt, capture, or otherwise injure wild birds. On behalf of SPAS Chapter and Board of Directors, President Forys wrote to the St Petersburg City Council in support of the measure, citing the community’s conservational values, its population density, and the need for policies that balance economic development and environmental protection.
Read letter here
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has launched an investigation after thousands of mothballs were discovered on April 20 near a Black Skimmer colony on St Pete Beach. Audubon Florida is monitoring the affected area and provided volunteers to assist with the safe removal of the mothballs, which are toxic to humans, domestic pets, and wildlife. Officials believe that the action was intended to disrupt shorebird nesting. FWC officials are encouraging people to report any wildlife violations to the Wildlife Alert program at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922) or at MyFWC.com/WildlifeAlert

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