Last Friday, a gaping chunk of a former Winn-Dixie’s roof collapsed in Madeira Beach during construction to convert it into an Aldi. No one was hurt.
- But that night, after seeing the news, Audubon Florida biologist Abby McKay called the city, the fire department — anyone who could pass on the message that threatened shorebirds were nesting up there.
Why it matters: It’s a dramatic example of the many perils sea and shorebirds encounter when nesting on developed, crowded coastlines — and the challenges faced by scientists and volunteers who monitor them.
- For the last seven years, an American oystercatcher and her mate have settled on the rooftop to lay eggs, contributing new chicks to the state-threatened population.
The big picture: Habitat loss is why species including oystercatchers, least terns and black…..