Stewardship coordinator at Audubon Florida in Sarasota says crowds have taken a special interest in local shorebirds this year. Dogs have not.
SARASOTA — After two days of crowds that filled Sarasota beachside parking lots to the brim, Memorial Day was a washout.
Beachgoers fleeing rainfall on St. Armands Circle took refuge from the storm under awnings around stores and restaurants. Others gave up on the beach entirely and fled back into the city with showers on their heels.
A few small groups remained on the beach, but it was in stark contrast to the throngs of people who descended on the shore on Saturday and Sunday when local law enforcement reported that primary beach parking had reached capacity before noon.
If exposure to COVID-19 was a factor, it wasn’t obvious.
Tragically, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said a young girl died after three people were caught in a rip current Sunday at Siesta Beach.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to 948 Beach Road just before 6:30 p.m. for multiple reports of swimmers in distress.
Arriving deputies located three swimmers — a woman and two children — who with the help of bystanders and emergency personnel were brought to shore. A girl, however, was unresponsive.
The child was transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The victim has been identified as Irys Wright, 10, of Lake Wales. Her family was notified.
Based on preliminary findings, it appeared the victim was caught in a riptide current that led to her drowning, the Sheriff’s Office says. There is no evidence of foul play or neglect.
The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine an official cause of death.
The investigation is ongoing.
No additional updates were available Monday evening.
No other serious incidents were reported by local law enforcement on area beaches.
Most patrons at Lido Beach went maskless Monday but properly spaced. They intermingled with a colony of black skimmers and least terns that have overtaken the top of the public beach.
Kylie Wilson, a stewardship coordinator at Audubon Florida in Sarasota County, says she watched beachgoers over the weekend reading signs about the birds and posing for selfies with the colony.
Wilson has worked this year without her normal flock of stewards because meetings to recruit stewards were canceled this year because of the global coronavirus pandemic.
There were a lot of concerns going into the #MemorialDayWeekend about crowds at the beach but a deluge of rain on Monday cleared the beaches. Crowds headed out for lunch near St. Armands Circle. pic.twitter.com/Tz57eoeKZf
— Carlos R. Munoz 📰 (@ReadCarlos) May 25, 2020Audubon stewards typically post up at the edge of the colony during business hours in order to inform people about the unique colonies of shorebirds.
Black skimmers are known for their unusual black and orange beak that allows them to skim the surface of the water for fish. They are a state-designated threatened species, and it is illegal to disturb them.
Their nesting site on Lido — about the size of a football field — has been roped off, and signs are posted. This year, the birds began nesting while Lido was closed and moved much closer to the main beach.
Wilson counts about 630 birds in the “supercolony, which accounts for nearly one-third of all Florida’s black skimmers.
The penalty for harming or harassing (or roosting) state-protected shores is a second-degree misdemeanor, and anyone who intentionally kills or wounds a state-designated threatened species could face a third-degree felony charge.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says there are 31 birds under state and federal protections. The agency wants people to be self-aware when it comes to wildlife.
“In the middle of the day, when a lot of people are out at the beach, it looks like there aren’t many birds in there because so many of the birds who aren’t nesting are trying to cool off,” Wilson said. “They are out of the colony by the water.”
Skimmers and terns near the water are gathering food and cooling off in shifts, while their mate is back on the nest protecting eggs and chicks.
“The birds continuously fly if they are being chased by kids,” Wilson said. “All that energy they are wasting is the energy they should be used to be productive in their nesting, especially, when they start having chicks. They will need to take their chicks down to the water.”
As tempting as it may be, do not roost them.
Wilson said cameras have been deployed this year to help monitor the birds without stewards. She has noticed more dogs at all of the nesting sites this year.
Dogs are banned on all public beaches in Sarasota County, except Brohard Dog Beach in Venice.
“Dogs for some reason have been a huge issue,” Wilson said. “I have caught dogs at every single nesting area. Dogs can — if it’s significant enough of a disturbance — crush eggs, and they can kill adults. They are not allowed on the beach.”
Service dogs that are allowed must be leashed.
“We really need to respect the fact that birds and dogs just don’t mix,” Wilson said.
The FWC asks residents and visitors who witness a wildlife violation to call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922. You may be eligible for a reward and can remain anonymous.
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