Collier County man arrested for allegedly targeting, killing endangered birds

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) -Florida Fish and Wildlife officers have arrested a Collier County man for five misdemeanor charges related to violations against endangered or threatened species.

Officials say the incident occurred on Jan 9, on Marco Island. Officers say Renardo Stewart accelerated and ran a golf cart through a flock of black skimmers resting on the beach. Marco Island Police Department detained Stewart and he admitted to driving the golf cart through the flock of birds.

The black skimmer is protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is also protected as State Threatened by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule.

Black skimmers rely on Florida’s sandy beaches to nest and to rest in flocks, called colonies. Black skimmers are named for how they skim along the surface of the water to forage for fish, dragging their long lower bill in the water. Resting skimmers often lay their entire bodies on the sand to give their neck muscles a break after foraging, a behavior called loafing. Like sleeping, loafing is a vital part of a bird’s survival. The FWC reminds the public of the importance of giving black skimmers and other coastal wildlife space to safely forage and rest on our beaches.

If you witness someone threatening or harassing wildlife, please contact the Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922).

Spring is here
A-suh-puh-ring is here
Life is skittles and life is beer
I think the loveliest time
Of the year is the spring
I do, don’t you? ‘Course you do

But there’s one thing
That makes spring complete for me
And makes every Sunday
A treat for me

All the world seems in tune
On a spring afternoon
When we’re poisoning pigeons in the park

Every Sunday you’ll see
My sweetheart and me
As we poison the pigeons in the park

When they see us coming
The birdies all try and hide
But they still go for peanuts
When coated with cyanide

The sun’s shining bright
Everything seems all right
When we’re poisoning pigeons in the park

We’ve gained notoriety
And caused much anxiety
In the Audubon Society
With our games

They call it impiety
And lack of propriety
And quite a variety
Of unpleasant names

But it’s not against any religion
To want to dispose of a pigeon

So if Sunday you’re free
Why don’t you come with me
And we’ll poison the pigeons in the park

And maybe we’ll do
In a squirrel or two
While we’re poisoning pigeons in the park

We’ll murder them all
Amid laughter and merriment
Except for the few

We take home to experiment
My pulse will be quickenin’
With each drop of strychnine
We feed to a pigeon
(It just takes a smidgin!)
To poison a pigeon in the park

-Tom Lehrer

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