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Regional shorebird biologist urges drivers to slow and avoid wrack as nesting season begins
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Summary
Nick Vitale, a regional shorebird biologist, told the Walton County advisory board that snowy plovers, least terns and black skimmers nest on local beaches between Feb. 15 and Sept. 1; he urged slow, low beach driving, leaving seaweed wrack and watching for chicks to reduce vehicle and human impacts.
Nick Vitale, identified in the meeting as a regional shorebird biologist, gave Walton County's Coastal Dune Lake Advisory Board a detailed overview of imperiled beach‑nesting birds and practical steps residents and visitors can take to reduce harm.
Vitale listed the state's beach‑nesting species that matter locally: snowy plovers (about 412 breeding adults statewide, with roughly 80% of that population in the Panhandle), Wilson's plover (recently advanced as a candidate species), colonial nesters such as least tern (approximately 13,000 across Florida) and black skimmer (about 7,000 statewide). "If you're not familiar, [snowy plovers] dig a little shallow depression in the sand and lay their eggs right on that," he said.
He gave clear timing and risk guidance: snowy plover nesting can begin as early as Feb. 15, colonial nesters begin mid- to late‑April, the nesting season runs through Sept. 1, and the peak period for chicks is May and June. Vitale described chicks as extremely small and mobile: "Our plover chicks are mobile and able to travel miles within days of hatching ... they're basically, a cotton ball and toothpicks for legs." A board member later praised that analogy.
Vitale highlighted primary threats: people on beaches, vehicles that can crush nests or chicks, vegetation encroachment that reduces open nesting habitat, and predators. He cited data and examples from local sites: Deer Lake State Park historically supported up to 10 snowy‑plover pairs and more than 100 least terns; Topsail Hill supports up to 12 snowy‑plover pairs and maximums of around 90 least‑tern chicks at peak years.
Recommended practices Vitale urged the public to follow included driving closer to the waterline rather than in dunes, driving slowly (roughly 10 mph slower in nesting areas to improve reaction time), avoiding driving through wrack or seaweed where chicks hide, minimizing deep tire ruts, and giving posted nesting areas sufficient buffer. "Driving low on the beach, closer to the water the better, and driving slow," he said.
Vitale also described conservation tools: posting nesting areas with signs, putting up bird‑crossing warnings on beach routes, regional monitoring with volunteers and partners such as Audubon, and targeted actions around productive foraging spots (lake outfalls) where chicks congregate.
Next steps and local context: Vitale offered to arrange field visits with FWC biologists for board members and partners interested in seeing nests and monitoring surveys. The board noted coordination with beach‑driving permit holders and planned a joint tour of beach driving operations with TDC Beach Ops and code enforcement later the same day.
