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…
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.