As the Sanibel Causeway Islands prepare to open to the public for the first time since Hurricane Ian, SCCF is busy posting off areas for nesting least terns, a state-threatened bird species that nests in colonies. 

Our staff have observed least terns landing on the Causeway and making nest scrapes, indicating they will likely attempt to form a nesting colony. This would be the third straight year least terns have nested on the Causeway, following a 30-year absence! Last year, they successfully fledged chicks.

Seeking Volunteers to Paint Stakes & Educate Beachgoers

We’re seeking volunteers to help us paint stakes to mark off least tern nests on Monday, April 28, from 8-10 a.m. Sign up here to help us paint stakes to protect these threatened species before a large influx of visitors arrive with the opening of the Causeway Islands in May. 

We are also looking for education and outreach volunteers to be stationed as shorebird stewards on the Causeway to teach beachgoers about these species. Our first training is Tuesday, April 29, from 6-7 p.m. (volunteers can join in person at SCCF’s headquarters or via Zoom). Please sign up here, and email shorebirds@sccf.org if you have questions.

• April 28 Stake Painting
• April 29 Shorebird Steward Training Session (Zoom link: https://sccf-org.zoom.us/j/88144008639?pwd=fOjzBX9GXmEFPwM4eTp2gcOb11hk68.1)

Some History

Historically, least terns (Sternula antillarum) and black skimmers (Rynchops niger) regularly attempted nesting on the Causeway Islands after the Sanibel Causeway was built in the 1960s. Unfortunately, vehicle traffic and summer storms left most nests unsuccessful.

“Despite the best efforts of our local conservation organizations to protect them and lure them to other nesting sites away from the Causeway, the birds continued to fall victim to traffic and the weather,” said SCCF Shorebird Biologist Audrey Albrecht. “They turned to other nearby beaches and rooftops but struggled to find suitable nesting habitat.”

Least terns have a relatively short nesting season, arriving to Southwest Florida in early April and beginning their migration back to their wintering grounds in August.

SCCF is closely communicating with Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Fish and Wildlife, and Lee County to coordinate the protection of these birds.