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.”…