When you picture a scarecrow, do you see a straw body dressed in tattered clothes used to protect farms from birds? Thanks to two grants from our Foundation, northeast Florida now has a new type of scarecrow to protect imperiled birds.
Nesting in the region has suffered from an overabundance of predation, with crows playing a major role. The scarecrows (or crow effigies) are previously deceased crows placed around the nesting sites of least terns and American oystercatchers to scare off living crows. Researchers also used electric fences, bird spikes, traps, and cover structures, warding off coyotes, raccoons, and owls.
This novel approach to predator management was effective. Amelia Island State Park saw the most dramatic benefit: the park fledged least tern chicks for the first time since 2015. Little Talbot Island State Park, one of the most important imperiled beach nesting bird locations along the Atlantic coast of Florida, hosted the second highest number of oystercatcher chicks fledged in the past 10 years following the grant. At Sawpit Island, the crow effigies were credited for the presence of any nests given previous predator activity on the Island. Julia’s Island, one of the few locations along Florida’s Atlantic coast that supports ground nesting black skimmers, was home to the birth of 48 least terns, three American oystercatchers, and five Wilson’s plovers.
