Least Terns are the subject of a great article from Wing Beat, the Clearwater Audubon newsletter. It was written by John Hood, with assistance from Marianne Korosy.

Least Tern Rooftop Nesting Colonies - Year Two

Least Terns are listed as Threatened in Florida by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Progressive increases in beach recreation and coastal development have disturbed the nesting cycle of Least Terns to the extent they have attempted to adapt by nesting on gravel-covered rooftops. In Pinellas County the birds have nested on roofs of warehouses, office buildings, auto dealerships, grocery stores, ―big box stores and private dwellings. Clearwater Audubon volunteers work together with volunteers from St. Petersburg Audubon and Dr. Beth Forys, Eckerd College, to survey rooftops throughout the county searching for nesting colonies and then conduct daily shifts of ―chick checking at occupied sites.

We had a very successful second year in our rooftop Least Tern nesting program. Six rooftops were utilized by the birds this year but 99% were at the Ulmerton Industrial Mart (UIM). The season lasted about 5 weeks. UIM was covered by a team of dedicated volunteers who braved scorching sun, the occasional rainstorm and some irate shopkeepers. Most of the local merchants were very supportive. Some would capture birds for us and HanCo Roofing Services went onto the roof and repaired several tar pits that were trapping both adults and chicks. We also washed cars for one merchant whose auto shop was surrounded by cars covered in droppings. UIM was monitored by volunteers working 5 shifts per day totaling 11.5 hours. Activity started at 7AM and sometimes wouldn't end till 11PM. In all, the volunteers put in about 500 hours of time.

There were 994 human bird contacts. We returned 850 birds to the rooftop and banded 378 chicks. Each chick got three bands – a metal band with a unique federal ID number on one leg and two color bands designating site and year on the other leg. If all these bands were placed end to end they would stretch 20.4 feet. One bird liked the ride down the drainpipe so much that it fell 14 times and was returned to the roof alive after its last fall. We had some unexpected results in that we spotted some of the birds that we banded last year on our beaches. They weren‘t supposed to return until next year. Guess they didn‘t read the scientific literature.

Thanks again to our dedicated volunteers. We‘re always looking for additional help so contact us if you would like to help next year. If you have a sighting to report, or to volunteer for this program, please contact John Hood or Marianne Korosy.