Black Skimmers on the Move, Florida Coastal Cleanup

Several weeks ago, the roof of a hotel in Cocoa Beach served as a nesting place and rookery for some Black Skimmers. Margie Mitchell reports "the skimmer parents and babies have finally checked out of the hotel and relocated to the beach. The fledglings are still begging fish from the parents. It's very entertaining to watch the adult birds come back from hunting with little fish for the youngsters. " I got a giggle from the photo - like a lot of families with several children, everybody is facing the same direction except for one little guy. There's one in every family. (Photo by Margie Mitchell - click to enlarge)

Mark your calendars now for the big Florida Coastal Cleanup scheduled for September 20, 8 a.m. to noon. Keep Brevard Beautiful notes that this cleanup differs from the smaller ones conducted throughout the year, in that all the trash collected is cataloged to help determine where it came from. Nice story in Florida Today newspaper at http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080830/NEWS01/808300316/-1/SEVENDAYS. Contact Jim Kriewaldt, Spoil Island and Invasive Plant Program Manager
(321) 631-0501 x 206 jimkbb2005@yahoo.com for more information.