Every spring, Least Terns return from the wintering grounds in South America to breed and raise their young on the flat, open beaches along Florida’s coasts. These threatened seabirds prefer to nest on beaches, but sometimes rely on buildings with gravel rooftops in developed areas. When natural beach habitat is unavailable or experiences too much disturbance to successfully raise chicks, the flat, gravel rooftops are the next best thing! Because these birds normally lay their eggs directly in scrapes in the sand, gravel rooftops provide a similar, but artificial, nesting habitat.

Gravel rooftops have provided a safe place for Least Terns, and other seabirds, to raise their young without human disturbance or predation by cats, coyotes, raccoons, and other nest predators. Although their overall nesting success on rooftops is higher, Least Tern chicks do struggle to stay ON the rooftop. Chicks can be flushed off the rooftop as a result of disturbance or bad weather. Those that survive the fall can easily dehydrate on the ground, get stepped on or run over, or eaten by predators.

One of the largest rooftop nesting sites in Northwest Florida is The Chateau Motel in Panama City Beach. This business has been working with Audubon Florida to protect their rooftop colony of Least Terns and return fallen chicks to the rooftop. In 2014, their staff safely returned over 50 Least Tern chicks! In addition to rescuing these stranded baby birds, the owners of this hotel provide guests with car wash tokens to thank them for understanding the mess that comes with staying beneath a colony of Least Terns.

On Monday, February 9, the Chateau Motel in Panama City Beach, FL became a much safer nest site for Least Terns. Staff from Audubon Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gulf Coast Tree Specialists and a group of brave volunteers installed “chick fencing” on the Motel’s rooftop. The day began in the parking lot of the Motel with the crew preparing the bricks with attachment points for the fencing.

Mike Wright used his bucket truck to lift the ton of bricks, along with anyone without a fear of heights, onto the rooftop to construct the fence. Thanks to Amy Raybuck, Justin Davis, Becca Hatchell, Christopher Nielens, Melissa Alverson, Bob Gilmore, Candis Harbison and Rebecca Metzger for all of your help. Without you this project would have taken days.

If you drive past the Chateau Motel this summer and see Least Terns flying overhead, be assured their chicks will be safe from falling off the roof.