The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation has announced Thursday that least tern chicks have finally hatched.
This is the third straight year least terns have nested on the Sanibel Causeway after a 30-year absence.
The SCCF has been working with Lee County and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to protect the nearly 70 least tern nests on the Causeway Islands.
After hatching, least tern chicks are sand-colored, speckled, with downy feathers. After about two weeks of staying in their nest, they start venturing outside of posted nesting areas. If you’re near the Causeway colony, please look out for the birds.
As Memorial Day weekend approaches, the SCCF reminds beachgoers to follow bird-friendly beach behaviors, including leashing pets, keeping distance from posted areas, not flushing birds, picking up food and trash, and carefully watching their steps when they are near the nesting colony.
Least tern nesting season lasts until August. After that, the colony will head south to winter in Central and South America.
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