Audubon Florida wants island residents and others to know 4th of July fireworks can be harmful to a variety of birds, especially nesting shore birds.
The group’s communications director Erika Zambello says, “Celebratory fireworks – which often take place on or near ocean beaches or lagoon shores where coastal birds make their nests – can literally frighten baby birds to death.”
Many birds are still nesting in early July, and while “waterside fireworks are entertaining to people, the bursts of color and noise wreak havoc on these coastal birds,” Zambello says. “The parents panic and fly from their nests, scattering the chicks and exposing them to predators and heat until their parents return.”
“Folks probably do not realize how much damage fireworks do to our bird populations, which are already decreasing every year due to habitat loss, climate change and other factors,” says longtime Indian River County environmentalist Dr. Richard Baker, chairman of Pelican Island Audubon Society.
“Net loss is approaching 3 billion birds, almost 30 percent of 1970 abundance in North America,” Baker adds. “This loss of bird abundance suggests a critical need to address all the reasons for the losses, including 4th of July fireworks.
Audubon Florida lists five common beach-nesting species – least terns, skimmers, Wilson’s plovers, snowy plovers and American oyster catchers – among those that lay their eggs in shallow scrapes in open sand. Herons, egrets, ibis and others also nest in local wetlands and waterways.
These are the birds most endangered by fireworks.
Fourth of July is a foundational American holiday and people love fireworks, so Audubon is not pushing for an end to Independence Day celebrations.
Instead, the group suggests that damage to bird populations can be minimized if individuals, families and neighborhood groups attend municipal pyrotechnic shows instead of deploying store-bought fireworks.
“The fireworks done by the cities and counties should be enough for all to enjoy,” Baker says, adding that he wishes retail fireworks would prominently display warnings about “how harmful they are to our birds.”
Zambello says debris from fireworks displays is also dangerous for birds and other wild animals. Hungry chicks may nibble on plastic refuse, and ingest small pieces, and fireworks debris on beaches “can be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals.”
This year, the Vero Beach 4th of July celebration, “Pioneers to Paradise,” will culminate with a fireworks display set off from Memorial Island in the lagoon near Riverside Park.
According to Recreation Department Director Jim O’Connell, the pyrotechnics will begin at 9 p.m., “500 feet from land.”
The City of Sebastian’s all-day “Freedom Festival” will feature a fireworks display at Riverview Park, set off from the Twin Piers over the lagoon, starting at 9 p.m., according to Sebastian Chamber of Commerce Tourism Director Nicholas Sanzone.
Photos provided
