• Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Advertising
  • Disclosure
  • Newsletter
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Sebastian Daily
  • News
    • All News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Crime
    • Food
    • Health
    • Fishing
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Newsletter
    • Schools
    • Traffic
    • Videos
  • Events
  • Calendar
  • Awards
    • Best Bars in Sebastian
    • Best Diners in Sebastian, Florida
    • Best Music in Sebastian
    • Best Pizza in Sebastian
    • Best Pubs in Sebastian
    • Best Sub Sandwiches in Sebastian
    • Best Wings in Sebastian
  • Fishing
  • Inspections
  • Obituaries
  • Weather
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • All News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Crime
    • Food
    • Health
    • Fishing
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Newsletter
    • Schools
    • Traffic
    • Videos
  • Events
  • Calendar
  • Awards
    • Best Bars in Sebastian
    • Best Diners in Sebastian, Florida
    • Best Music in Sebastian
    • Best Pizza in Sebastian
    • Best Pubs in Sebastian
    • Best Sub Sandwiches in Sebastian
    • Best Wings in Sebastian
  • Fishing
  • Inspections
  • Obituaries
  • Weather
No Result
View All Result
Sebastian Daily
No Result
View All Result
Home Community

Nesting season in Sebastian for sea turtles and waterbirds

Sebastian Daily by Sebastian Daily
Mar 10, 2023 / 1:47 PM
A A
Sea turtle

Sea turtle

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

Nesting season has started for sea turtles and waterbirds on the beaches in Indian River County, especially near the inlet in Sebastian, Florida.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds people they can help protect vulnerable nesting sea turtles and waterbirds this spring and summer while visiting Florida’s coastal habitats.

Because our state’s shorelines are critical for sea turtle and waterbird nesting, beachgoers can greatly impact their nesting success. To help nesting sea turtles and waterbirds, give them space, minimize disturbances, and keep beaches clean and dark.

Obstacles on the beach can prevent sea turtles from nesting as they crawl across the sand to lay their eggs. Trash, holes in the sand, and other obstacles can also prevent sea turtle hatchlings from reaching the water once they emerge from their nests. 

Food scraps attract predators, such as raccoons and crows, that prey on sea turtle hatchlings, shorebird eggs, and chicks. Litter on beaches can entangle sea turtles, birds, and other wildlife. Beachgoers can help our native wildlife by stashing all trash, filling in human-made holes in the sand, and removing boats, beach toys, and furniture from the beach before sunset. 

Fishing line can be deadly to sea turtles, waterbirds, and other wildlife, so be sure to dispose of it properly. To find a monofilament recycling station near you, visit mrrp.MyFWC.com.

Any lighting can misdirect and disturb nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings, leading them away from the ocean and toward potential danger. Beachgoers should use natural starlight to see on the beach at night and avoid using flashlights or cellphones. 

Anyone living along or visiting Florida beaches can do their part by putting porch, parking, or deck lights out and closing curtains after dark to avoid harming nesting and hatchling sea turtles on the beach. If lighting remains visible from the beach, be sure it is long, low and shielded. 

Sea Turtle Nesting

Getting too close (50 feet or less) to nesting sea turtles can cause them to leave the beach before they complete nesting. Remember – harming or disturbing nesting sea turtles and their nests, eggs and hatchlings is illegal. 

Shorebirds, seabirds and wading birds also need plenty of space to prevent them from flushing from their breeding sites, leaving vulnerable eggs and chicks exposed to the elements and predators. Egg temperatures can increase to lethal levels after just a few minutes of direct sun exposure. 

Shorebirds and seabirds nest in shallow scrapes in the sand and their eggs and chicks are well-camouflaged, making them vulnerable to being stepped on unless people look out for them and avoid walking though flocks of birds.

In general, it is best to keep at least 300 feet from nesting birds and avoid walking through birds’ flocks or entering posted areas. Pet owners can also help by keeping dogs at home or on a short leash and away from wildlife on pet-friendly beaches.

Sea turtles typically return to nest in March along the coast near the Sebastian Inlet and beaches in Brevard and Indian River Counties. Around this same time, many shorebird and seabird species nest directly on beaches where their eggs and chicks are well camouflaged in the sand. Colonies of wading birds, such as herons, will typically nest on mangrove islands off the coast.

For more information about nesting sea turtles and how you can help, visit MyFWC.com/SeaTurtle. For more information about nesting waterbirds, go to MyFWC.com/Shorebirds.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mar 28
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Johnny Debt at Capt Hirams Sandbar

Mar 28
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Open Mic Night at CC’s Place

Mar 28
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Recurring

Trivia at Capt Hirams (Ramp Lounge)

View Calendar
Previous Post

Fellsmere man breaks jaw of 14-year-old teen to “teach him a lesson”

Next Post

Tips to safely co-exist with alligators in Sebastian and other Florida areas

Next Post
American alligator (FWC)

Tips to safely co-exist with alligators in Sebastian and other Florida areas

MORE FROM SEBASTIAN DAILY

Pictured left to right: Sebastian Exchange Club Acting Student Coordinator Ali Qizilbash with Isaiah Cummings, Kathryn Bender, Grace DeVarney, Lawrence Kim, Morgan Ransom, and Sebastian Exchange Club President Fred Jones

Exchange Club of Sebastian honors its March Students of the Month

by Tina Hodges
March 22, 2023

...

Sebastian Inlet

FWC Boating Cases Near Sebastian Inlet for March 10 through March 16, 2023

by Andy Hodges
March 22, 2023

...

Brandon Mayo

Snook, redfish still dominate Sebastian Inlet, plus our boating forecast

by Andy Hodges
March 28, 2023

...

Lawrence Reeves, lead author of the study and an assistant professor and mosquito biologist at the UF/IFAS research center in Vero Beach, Florida.

Scientists are concerned with the rate of new mosquitoes arriving in Florida

by Sebastian Daily
March 22, 2023

...

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mar 28
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Johnny Debt at Capt Hirams Sandbar

Mar 28
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Open Mic Night at CC’s Place

Mar 28
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Recurring

Trivia at Capt Hirams (Ramp Lounge)

Mar 29
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Recurring

Runadolia Run Club

Mar 29
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Recurring

Open Mic with Rob Johnson

View Calendar
Sebastian Daily

Trusted news in Indian River County and Sebastian, Florida. Sebastian Daily offers hometown news, reviews, obituaries, weather, and hurricane updates.

Follow Us on Social Media

Mailing Address

Sebastian Daily, LLC
1603 U.S. Highway 1
Suite 102
Sebastian, Florida 32958

For advertising services or to post an obituary, please call Tina at 772-925-5221.

Categories

  • Business
  • Community
  • Crime
  • Health
  • Inlet
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Obituaries
  • Restaurants
  • Schools
  • Sebastian Calendar of Events and Riverview Park Concerts
  • Traffic
  • Videos
  • Weather
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
  • Disclosure

© 2023 Sebastian Daily. All Rights Reserved. Sebastian Daily® is a registered trademark of Sebastian Daily, LLC.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • All News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Crime
    • Food
    • Health
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Traffic
    • Videos
  • Events
  • Calendar
  • Awards
    • Best Bars in Sebastian
    • Best Diners in Sebastian
    • Best Music in Sebastian
    • Best Pizza in Sebastian
    • Best Pubs in Sebastian
    • Best Sub Sandwiches in Sebastian
    • Best Wings in Sebastian
  • Fishing
  • Inspections
  • Obituaries
  • Schools
  • Weather
  • Newsletter

© 2023 Sebastian Daily. All Rights Reserved. Sebastian Daily® is a registered trademark of Sebastian Daily, LLC.