There is currently an investigation into what disrupted and destroyed this year’s breeding attempt by a Black Skimmer colony on Shell Key in Pinellas County, Florida, but it looks like a helicopter involved in the filming of a commercial for jet skis flew too close to the colony, scared the adult birds off, and destroyed the nests with the downdraft from the helicopter’s rotors. As if seabirds on the Gulf of Mexico don’t have enough to deal with right now…
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.
Helicopters destroying birds and nests is a hourly occurrence here in southern Arizona. The US border patrol flies very low to seek out and detain illegal aliens 24/7.