Nesting birds cause Beach House to cancel fireworks

BRADENTON BEACH (FOX 13) - Fireworks have long been a concern for pet owners; the loud noises often terrifying dogs and cats. Fireworks have the same impact on local wildlife, like nesting seabirds.

“The very loud noises could cause nest abandonment or failure in a colony,” said Barbara Walker with the Clearwater Audubon Society.

With that in mind, the Beach House restaurant on Bradenton Beach has nixed its fireworks display for a second year in a row. Not far from the popular hot spot are the nests of Black Skimmers, a protected species in Florida.

The Beach House posting this on its website:

“With the best interest of our community’s environmental protection in mind, we have decided once again to cancel our July 3rd fireworks display to protect the rare and endangered shore birds on the beach.”

“We're coming to a point in time where all of us are on the same side of things together,” Walker said.

Last year, the city of St. Pete Beach moved its fireworks display to an off-shore barge to stay away from seabirds. This year, it’s being held at Upham beach.

Bird experts say even small, personal fireworks displays can cause harm, so look before you light.

“If you do your own fireworks, no matter where you area because you could impact any kind of wildlife,” said Walker.