FRIENDS MATTER. A Successful Clean Up at Miller Island. Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc. Fall 2018

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1 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc. Fall 2018 FRIENDS MATTER Photo by Tom Bell A Successful Clean Up at Miller Island by Patrick Mundus Volunteers from Friends and Florida Audubon spent a steamy October morning clearing invasive Brazilian Pepper from the Miller Island Audubon Sanctuary in St. Pete Beach. Officially known as Miller Family Bird Colony Island, the property is a small mangrove island near the Don Cesar hotel. Miller Island is home to Brown Pelicans, Great Blue Herons, Cormorants, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets and others for both nesting and roosting. Over 12 bird species have been documented using the island for nesting. The island was gifted to Florida Audubon in 2012, and is routinely surveyed in the Friends monthly bird counts to track species using the island. With a bit of wading, a lot of sweat, and a few ouches, we cleared the interior of the small island of the spreading invasive tree, allowing for the growth of native plants. The group also collected washed up tidal trash from the deep, dark areas beneath the red mangroves (thanks Mel!). A big thanks to all the volunteers who pitched in to make this habitat a better place Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges 1

2 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc. Fall 2018 Pictures Worth a Thousand Words.by Tom Bell. White Pelicans on Tarpon Key photographed during Friends November monthly Bird Survey Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges 2

3 Fall 2018 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc. Birds of the Refuge: This Issue s Spotlight Shines on Royal Terns Refuge Locations Royal Terns are known for their colonial nesting sites on Egmont Key NWR. In 2018 the refuge hosted over 2,650 nesting pairs of Royals, one of the largest colonies in Florida. In 2012 over 8,000 pairs nested on Egmont. Previously Royals nested at Passage Key NWR, before moving to Egmont in the 1990s. Royal terns, with their bright orange bills and shaggy black crests, are a saltwater species that typically feed inshore along barrier island beaches and back bays. The plunge diving terns are a common sight on Gulf coast beaches. Royal Tern breeding populations occur in 4 or 5 separate geographic regions: Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America and Caribbean; Yucatan Peninsula; Pacific coast of Mexico (north to southern California); southeastern South America; and central-west coast of Africa. Royals nest on open beach areas, creating a small scrape or depression in the sand, in areas that are undisturbed by human activities. These terns have one brood per year, and generally only a single egg is laid. If you find Royal Terns nesting you will typically find smaller number of Sandwich Terns nesting with them in the colony. While the Royal Tern population in North America appears stable today, there have been significant declines in Florida, where populations fell dramatically between 1966 and 2014, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. The preservation and protection of nesting habitat in the Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge helps keep this population stable. Information courtesy of: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 2003, January 6. Florida's breeding bird atlas: A collaborative study of Florida's bird life The Birds of North America, No. 700, 2002 Photo: D. Howard 2018 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges 3

4 Fall 2018 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc. Make Your Holiday Shopping Count Fair Wage is about caring who makes the things you buy. We have choices where we spend our money. Those choices make a difference in people s lives all over the world. Our Friends gift shop carries Fair Wage metal ornaments and pin cards that are hand crafted in a village outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Just 3 decades ago Chiang Mai was a chronically poor area. Families were torn apart when children had to move to Bangkok to work in factories or in tourism to survive. Now over 400 neighbors work together, providing families the opportunity to stay together and utilize their traditional metalworking skills. The area now has schools, computers, roads, and clean water. No one thinks of dumping trash in rivers or landfills because this is their home. No lead or dangerous chemicals are used in their work. These artists work together to make the wonderful art that we are fortunate to carry. Shop the Friends gift shop this year for your holiday needs! December 8th at Holiday Hoopla in Gulfport from 10 am 6 pm, rain or shine. We have a great selection of these beautiful metal ornaments and pin cards and through your purchase, you ll be helping to support families in Chiang Mai and Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges! Sea Turtle SUCCESS! We thought the 114 Loggerhead sea turtle nests laid on Egmont Key NWR in 2017 were fantastic and a record, but the 151 nests laid last summer beat that record by far. Only 11 of the nests failed because they were laid too close to the high tide were inundated with salt water. In total, over 12,000 hatchlings made their way out to the Gulf, swimming to the safety of the Sargassum sea weed in deep water. Almost all of the nests hatched before September 8, when red tide rolled into Pinellas County. Only 15 hatched during red tide and hopefully those little guys did ok as they made a beeline to better water in the Gulf. Thanks to Eckerd College interns, Katie & Danielle Birk, as well as State Park staff for monitoring and recording the nesting success Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges 4

5 Fall 2018 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc. Reduce Reuse Recycle The Friends garage sale picked Reuse. Generous members and friends donated thousands of items for this year s garage sale. We were able to hold the sale two days at the end of October at a community sale in St Pete, and then a bonus day in Gulfport at its city-wide sale day event. It s a MYSTERY! Can you guess what this is and where we found it? Hint: it s on one of our three refuges Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges 5

6 Adopt a Nest: Join the Egmont Key Sea Turtle Survival Program Friends of Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges PO Box St Petersburg, FL Friends@TampaBayRefuges.org A 501c3 Florida Non-Profit Corporation Why Should I Adopt a Nest? Because beach erosion and sea level rise create constant threats to nesting habitats, sea turtle nests need to be protected and monitored. By adopting a nest, you support educational programing and the Eckerd College interns who will protect, monitor, and collect nesting data during the nesting season. Did You Know That Sea turtles can live for years. Adult females lay 100 eggs per nest and up to 8 nests per season. Only 1 out of a 1,000 hatchlings may survive to adult size. Adopt a Nest For You or a Loved One: Only $100. Here s How it Donate by check or go to: 1. Click on DONATE in far left column. 2. Complete the requested information. We accept major credit cards and PayPal. 3. Complete the Adoption Form on the back of this flyer and mail or to us at: Friends@TampaBayRefuges.org. 4. Upon our receipt of your completed Adoption Form, we will send you an Adoption Certificate suitable for framing and place a wooden turtle plaque honoring you or your loved one, in the Egmont Key Guardhouse s Turtle Room. 5. When the nest hatches, we will mail you your turtle plaque that will include all of the nesting and hatching details.

7 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc. Fall 2018 Calendar of Events Months Dates Event Details December December 12 Ales and Wild Tales: The Big Turtle Year with George Heinrich 6-7 PM at Ale and Witch, 111 2nd Ave NE, St Petersburg in the courtyard January December 30 and January 16 Pinellas Bird Suvery or call Dave January 5 Field Trip: Tampa History Center exhibit of Conservation in the Bay with interpretation by Ann Paul & Suzanne Cooper $15 trip fee includes museum entrance. Registration: TampaBayRefuges@msn.com or call January 9 Ales and Wild Tales: Sea Horses with Shawn Garner of the Florida Aquarium 6-7 PM at Ale and Witch, 111 2nd Ave NE, St Petersburg in the courtyard February February2 Raptor Boyd Hill Helpers Needed Morning/Afternoon/all day shifts needed. February 17 Pinellas Bird Survey TampaBayRefuges@msn.com or call Dave February 13 Ales and Wild Tales: Native Landscaping with Bruce Turley of Wilcox Nursery 6-7 PM at Ale and Witch, 111 2nd Ave NE, St Petersburg in the courtyard February Field Trip: Fakahatchee Strand & Everglades (waiting list for swamp walk) To sign-up, contact Barb Howard at TampaBayRefuges@msn.com or call her at March March 18 Pinellas Bird Suvery TampaBayRefuges@msn.com or call Dave April April 12 Pinellas Bird Survey TampaBayRefuges@msn.com or call Dave Docents at the Egmont Key Guardhouse and Bird Stewards for Egmont Key are needed all weekends plus: Christmas week, Spring Break, and Summer Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges 6