Sea and shorebirds nest right on Florida’s sand beaches and barrier islands, raising their families while contending with storm surge, predators, and human disturbance. Unfortunately, this year a looming, zooming threat has taken the lives of dozens of chicks and even adults: vehicle collisions.

Birds must nest, rest, and feed on the beaches – this is their habitat, and they depend on the resources here to raise the next generation of sea and shorebirds. When people, cars, ATVs, and scooters (where permitted) take to the sand for recreational purposes, there can be deadly consequences.

• In Tampa, a man on an unauthorized motorized scooter on Redington Beach purposefully drove through a flock of terns and skimmers, killing a Royal Tern fledge. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and local police department are investigating.
• In Northwest Florida, cars drive too fast within Gulf Islands National Seashore near Pensacola. Because birds nest in the dunes near the road, the chicks are particularly vulnerable to vehicle strikes.
• In Gulf County, a Wilson’s Plover died after being struck by a vehicle on the beach on Cape San Blas. While driving is allowed at some beaches, it still poses a risk to shorebirds and other wildlife. Audubon and the Gulf County Sheriff's Office installed signs reminding drivers to watch out for shorebirds.
• In Northeast Florida’s Huguenot Memorial Park, seabird chicks are spreading out from the protected area and onto the beach where cars are permitted. Unlike adult birds, they do not fly away when a vehicle approaches. Drivers, especially those not obeying the posted speed limit, have accidentally run over more than a dozen chicks – a serious dent in this otherwise successful bird colony’s chick population.

Audubon is on the beaches and working with land managers to improve conditions for sea and shorebird families, including: Moving no-driving boundaries to protect chicks on the sand; reducing speed limits in sensitive areas; educating beachgoers on the importance of giving birds space and looking for bird signs, especially when in a motorized vehicle; and collaborating with local partners to create more motor-free coastline areas for the benefit of both birds and people.

In areas like Huguenot Memorial Park, where the parking lot is on the beach, volunteers have increased their presence during busy weekends to alert visitors to the vulnerable chicks. Unless park management further expands the no-driving area, drivers will need to continue to be aware of chicks resting on the sand or seeking shade under their car.

Are you hitting the beach this summer? Keep the wheels in the parking lot and enjoy the coast on foot to protect these vulnerable families before they fledge to safety. Even if you're not driving on sand, please be mindful of slow speed zones. When shorebirds and seabirds nest adjacent to roads, as they do in Gulf Islands National Seashore, chicks stray into the roadway, and parents flying in to feed them are similarly in harm's way. High speed traffic can spell disaster here, just as it would in a human school zone.