Partner Spotlight: John Hood of the Suncoast Shorebird Partnership 

John Hood, past president of Clearwater Audubon Society, has been a key partner of the Florida Shorebird Alliance within the Suncoast Shorebird Partnership since 2008. For the last 10 years, he monitored beaches and rooftops for nesting and has been an important player for the stewardship program on Three Rooker Island, part of the Anclote Key Preserve system.

In 2008, John began helping with the monitoring of rooftop-nesting least tern colonies. Available day and night, he has assisted with chick-checking by placing tiny tern chicks back onto the roof with their parents. He helped design tools for volunteers to easily and safely put those chicks back up onto the roof. John was also a driving force behind the rooftop banding program for least terns in Pinellas County, which has helped answer the question, "Have we put up 100 different chicks or 1 chick 100 times?” He also put in hours in the scorching sun to chick-proof rooftops where chicks were prone to falling off.

Moving off of the rooftops, John has also done incredible work for the shorebirds and seabirds nesting on Pinellas County beaches. He began monitoring beaches for nesting birds in 2009 in north Pinellas County. John has installed posting around countless colonies on both municipal beaches and on state-owned Three Rooker Island. On Three Rooker, he helped develop the Bird Stewardship Program for the multiple colonial species that use the island for nesting and raising their chicks. He has spent just about every weekend during the hot summer months transporting volunteers to the island and ensuring the safety of the birds.

Not only is John “for the birds”, he’s also for the volunteers and bird lovers. He has been the glue that has held the Suncoast Shorebird Partnership together, particularly in its earliest years, giving talks that are both thoughtful and insightful (and often funny!). He is continuously appreciative of all volunteers, coming up with "awards" and other things that made everyone feel good about their efforts. Thank you, John, for your countless efforts.  The Suncoast Shorebird Partnership is lucky to have a partner like John Hood!

(photo: John Hood and Holley Short of Audubon Florida)

Every monitoring survey you record is reviewed by a member of our Data Team!  We review the information piece by piece to better understand what’s happening with shorebirds statewide.  When we want to know more, we check the comments you entered.  And if we have questions, we ask the experts – you!

By reviewing every piece of information you submit to the Florida Shorebird Database, we ensure the data set is consistent and reliable. This helps us inform adaptive management strategies and identify information gaps.  Thank you for each and every monitoring record you submitted in the 2018 breeding season.  Your data is essential for advancing shorebird and seabird conservation in Florida!

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