| Letter from Director of Bird Conservation Audrey DeRose-Wilson |
The 2024 summer beach-nesting bird season ended in dramatic fashion, with not one, not two, but three named storms reshaping the Gulf Coast between September and October. Our thoughts are still with the communities that are trying to rebuild after Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. The Audubon Florida team has fanned out across our shoreline sites to study the impacts of the storms on the birds and will continue to work to remove debris and trash ahead of the 2025 season.
Large storms underscore how important our living shoreline project has become in the Tampa Bay region. Just a few weeks ago we finished our newest shoreline installation initiative, 1,800 additional feet of pH neutral living shoreline that will protect habitat for 18 bird species that depend on small islands to nest, rest, and feed.
Overall, 2024 proved to be a mixed year for nesting sea and shorebirds— some successes and some failures. We thank our team and dedicated volunteers for protecting these avian families on our busy beaches. As National Audubon Society seeks to “bend the bird curve” and reverse bird population declines across the hemisphere, every successfully fledged chick is important. |
|
|
|
|
