Little Bayou Bird Island Habitat Project - TBRPC

Little Bayou Bird Island Habitat Project

Albert Whitted Airport

Little Bayou

Grandview City Park and boat ramp

Little Bayou Preserve City Park

Little Bayou and the Bird Island – owned by the State of Florida and managed as part of the Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve.

Audubon’s Coastal Islands Sanctuaries assists with management, surveys, fishing line cleanup, and posting.

Healthy mangroves along shorelineInterior – mostly non-native treesSeagrass surrounds Little Bayou Bird Island

Little Bayou Bird Island Audubon Survey

Conducted by Ann Paul on April 22, 2019

Double-crested Cormorants 55 nestsGreat Blue Herons 5 nestsGreat Egrets 15 nestsSnowy Egrets 5 nestsBlack-crowned Night-Herons 3 nestsGreen Herons 1 nest

The island is also regularly used as a roost for Brown Pelicans, herons, egrets, and ibis

Project funded by a donor to Audubon Florida – Coastal Islands Sanctuaries

St. Petersburg City Parks Department provided major assistance

Allowed us to stage, load native trees and shrubs, and leave trash and debris at Little Bayou Preserve City Park

Brought water in a tank truck to Grandview City Park and Boat Ramp

DAY ONE – Brazilian pepper removal Saskia Janes, Ann Paul, Jeff Liechty, Bill Leever, Dave Kandz, Patrick Mundus, Dave Howard, Sara Neglia, Ben Schnapf, Liz Longstreet, Sara Brehm, Randy Runnels (note electric chain saw)

Great Blue Herons and Green Heron

Trash removal

Fishing Line Removal

DAY TWO

175 native trees & shrubs

Coastal hammock

ButtonwoodGumbo limboStrangler figCedarCabbage palmWhite stopperSeagrapeFlorida privetfirebush

Planting and watering• Used water gel• Pump on FDEP boat• Buckets• Rained Friday night!

16 people, 175 plants = 11 plants each

DAY THREE -- tomorrow:Water and see how the plants are doing. (Hoping for rain!)

Standing: Saskia Janes, Taylor Mattson, Dave Howard, Lindsay Bell, Tom Bell, Rick Powell, Mark Rachal, Ann Paul, Ben SchnapfIn tree: Jeff LiechtyIn boat: Sara Neglia, Sara BrehmSquatting: Dave Kandz, Mike Fearney, Patrick Mundus

Photo by Ariana Halvaei

Little Bayou Bird Island Habitat ProjectQuestions?