Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/336863
In a June 23 interview with the News Leader, Worms said Sarasota Audubon volunteers encountered more problems over the week- end, especially Saturday night. They worked to keep people who seemed inebriated from literally stumbling into the posted area near Accesses 4 and 5, and they asked a number of bicycle riders not to enter the zone. Worms summed it up succinctly. "There was a lot of stuff going on out there at the beach." Then early on the morning of June 24, vol- unteers found evidence of the latest incident. According to an email Bob Luckner sent the News Leader, the posted area suffered extensive damage, with more nests dis- rupted. At least 13 of the 46 Least Tern eggs were destroyed, Luckner reported in the news release. After the first incident, Worms told the News Leader, many nesting Least Terns relocated west of the posted area, so volunteers have put up more tape and signs to keep people from walking into that section of the beach. However, he added, some residents of The Terrace condominium complex, which is landward of the new site, are not happy about the situation. Because Least Terns are very protective of their chicks and nests, he pointed out, they will not hesitate to peck at anyone who approaches them too closely. He has tried to tell people to make a wide berth of the nest- ing area "if you're not wearing a helmet," he added with a chuckle. "They've had an atti- tude ever since that incident [last week]," he said of the Least Terns. Black Skimmers were abundant in the Access 4 area until a person apparently drove a motorcycle through the buffered area, Audubon volunteers report. Contributed photo by Catherine Luckner Sarasota News Leader June 27, 2014 Page 12