Inside the bird-nesting haven few humans see: Tampa's 3D Island

Axios

14-07-2025

Rising 40 feet above the waters of Hillsborough Bay is a human-made island that's become a vital habitat for beach-nesting birds.
Why it matters: 3D Island and nearby 2D Island — both formed from leftover sand from Port Tampa Bay dredging projects — support the reproduction of coastal birds that are key to a thriving, healthy ecosystem.
Among the island populations are species that have struggled with population declines, including the black skimmer and American oystercatcher.
👋 Kathryn here. Humans typically aren't allowed on the islands during nesting season, spanning April 1 to Aug. 31.
Yes, but: I was invited on a media tour of 3D Island by Port Tampa Bay spokesperson Lisa Wolf-Chason.
Guides from Audubon Florida, which manages the island with the port and the Army Corps of Engineers, helped ensure we didn't interfere with nature taking its course.
After I wrote about Florida's vanishing birds a couple of months ago, the visit last week was a salve.
By the numbers: In June, Audubon representatives counted 220 black skimmer adults, 12 nests and 26 chicks on the island.
There were 14 American oystercatchers, one nest and four chicks.
Species of tern — including sandwich, Caspian and royal — numbered in the thousands, as did laughing gulls, those black-and-white birds that are plentiful on Tampa Bay shorelines.
What we saw: There were so many birds that our Audubon and Port guides warned us that we may get pooped on. (Which I somehow avoided. Wolf-Chason wasn't so lucky — sorry, Lisa!)
Black skimmers, with their long, orange and black beaks, were scattered throughout the island, and we even spotted the rare American oystercatcher on the sandy shore.
On the way up the ridge were laughing gulls at various stages of growth: nests in the shrubbery with brown-speckled eggs, awkward tan-feathered teenagers stumbling over the sand, and black and white adults squawking above us.
We paused at the top to observe a group of orange-billed royal terns, their black head feathers sticking up like mohawks. And then we saw the chick, a tiny little fluffball of joy tucked in the white wing of an adult.
Stunning moment: A pesky vulture trying to poke around the island didn't stand a chance as every bird in the area, no matter the species, chased it off in a flurry of feathers.
What they're saying:"That's the benefit of nesting in a colony," Audubon sanctuary manager Jeff Liechty said.
"There's power in numbers."
Between the lines: Another benefit of nesting on the island is the lack of people. Several species lay their eggs directly on the sand, making their nests particularly vulnerable — especially on crowded beaches.
If you see a nesting area blocked off, stay clear of it.
The bottom line: As for 3D Island, it belongs to the birds.