Black skimmers — Sebastian, Florida

No active black skimmer nesting colony at Sebastian Inlet appears in public records checked on October 10, 2026; skimmers are seen and photographed at the inlet, and they nest on open beach sand, sandbars, dredge islands and gravel rooftops.

The birds themselves are a familiar sight. The Sebastian Inlet District's wildlife gallery opens its bird section with two photographs of the black skimmer, taken at Sebastian Inlet by district staff, and notes that the inlet is a Great Florida Birding Trail site where birders have listed more than 190 species, according to Sebastian Inlet State Park. A bird list and map is available at the park ranger station.

Seeing skimmers is not the same as a colony. FWC's black skimmer profile says the species nests on the sand along beaches, on sandbars and on islands developed from dredged material, in colonies of one to several hundred pairs. FWC's guidance points to the Florida Shorebird Alliance, which coordinates posting, monitoring and bird stewardship locally, as the group that marks active colonies with symbolic fencing, and no posted skimmer colony at the Sebastian Inlet beaches was found in the district, county, Audubon or news sources reviewed for this page.

Indian River County has little recorded shorebird nesting data, and a rooftop survey summarized by Pelican Island Audubon found no black skimmer pairs on county rooftops in its latest data year, 2010.

In a May 21, 2019, article, Pelican Island Audubon wrote that there are not many recorded data on shorebird nesting in Indian River County, which it attributed to development of beaches and shorelines, beach raking, dune buggies, predation by crows, laughing gulls and raccoons, and disturbance by dogs. The chapter listed black skimmers among the species that have shifted to nesting on flat gravel rooftops in the county, then reported that the 2010 survey counted 59 breeding pairs of least terns and none of the other species.

The same article said two former rooftop sites in Sebastian were no longer active, and it announced the April 18, 2019, introductory meeting of the Treasure Coast Shorebird Partnership, formed to gather better data. Least terns, which do nest on rooftops in Indian River County, are covered on a separate page; for skimmers, the documented local record near Sebastian is one of sightings rather than nests.

Black skimmers breed in summer, generally between May and early September, FWC says, inside a broader Florida shorebird nesting season that FWC dates from February 15 to September 1 for rooftop colonies near Sebastian.

The FWC profile gives the details of a skimmer nest. Pairs usually lay three to five eggs, both parents incubate for about 23 to 25 days, taking turns of up to four hours, and the parents guard the chicks until they can fly at about 28 to 30 days old. Skimmers defend colonies by group mobbing, but FWC notes that because they nest on open beach in colonies they are extremely vulnerable to disturbance by people, pets and predators.

Local coverage repeats FWC's calendar. Sebastian Daily reported on April 16, 2025, that black skimmers, least terns, roseate terns and American oystercatchers increasingly choose gravel-covered rooftops, and that FWC's nesting season runs from February 15 to September 1. An April 27, 2022, Sebastian Daily report on shorebird nesting near Sebastian said most rooftop nesters are state-Threatened species such as black skimmers and least terns.

Black skimmers near Sebastian are protected as a state-designated Threatened species and under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, with FWC asking beachgoers to stay out of posted areas and keep dogs away.

For skimmers on the Brevard and Indian River County coast, FWC lists the species as State-designated Threatened, with a state rank of rare. If take of skimmers cannot be avoided during otherwise lawful activities, such as beach construction, loud special events or rooftop work during breeding season, FWC may issue an Incidental Take Permit that must provide a conservation benefit. Nests are often protected by symbolic fencing, temporary postings that provide a buffer against disturbance.

The FWC beach-nesting bird page gives the public rules: never enter areas posted with shorebird or seabird signs, avoid driving on or beyond the upper beach, keep dogs on a leash and away from nesting areas, keep cats indoors, dispose of trash to keep predators away, and do not fly kites near nesting birds. Sebastian Daily, relaying FWC advice on June 30, 2022, told beachgoers near the Sebastian Inlet to keep at least 300 feet from nesting birds and stay out of posted areas.

County rules already cover pets on the nearest public beaches south of the inlet. Indian River County's page for Wabasso Beach Park states that no pets are permitted within any county park under County Ordinance 205.03.22, and Pelican Island Audubon has argued that dogs disturb nesting birds more than people do, especially at inlets.

Black skimmers are seen at Sebastian Inlet, on the beaches on both sides of the inlet, and along the Indian River Lagoon shore between Sebastian and Vero Beach.

A March 7, 2025, Sebastian Daily article on FWC's nesting season messages said shorebirds and seabirds can often be seen around Sebastian and Vero Beach, near the Indian River Lagoon, and on the beaches along both sides of Sebastian Inlet. The same article described FWC Critical Wildlife Areas as zones on beaches and coastal islands closed to the public during nesting season, marked by signs, and recommended the flock walk around resting birds instead of through them.

The skimmer's feeding style makes it easy to identify on the lagoon. FWC describes a large red and black bill whose lower half is longer than the upper, used to skim the water surface until the bird contacts a fish and snaps the bill shut. Adults stand up to 19.7 inches tall with a wingspan of 3 to 3.5 feet, black above and white below. The Sebastian Inlet District, which monitors area beaches important to sea turtle nesting and shorebirds, lists the black skimmer first among the birds photographed at the inlet.