“Snowbirds” Defend Their Feathered Friends

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Margaret and Steve Santangelo spend their winters in Tierra Verde so they can be close to the natural beauty of Fort DeSoto beach. Photo: Elizabeth Kraker.

Like the snowbirds they never expected to become, Margaret and Steve Santangelo return to the same beach every winter. And like their feathered friends, who often nest in colonies to protect each other from predators, the Santangelos spend their winters defending the birds at Fort DeSoto Park.

But rather than fighting off larger birds or raccoons, the Santangelos are protecting birds from human intrusion at one of the few dedicated sanctuaries for nesting and migrating birds in the region.

Their commitment last winter played a significant role in one of the most successful years ever for Wilson’s plovers at Fort DeSoto Park, according to Elizabeth Forys, a professor at Eckerd College and expert in beach-nesting birds. “We had some of our highest numbers ever in terms of both pairs nesting and fledged chicks,” she said.

The fact that the Santangelos were on the beach during the week and earlier than bird stewards are usually called to work also meant that the plovers had fledged by the time Tropical Storm Debbie came through and nearly wiped out the beach where they had been nesting, Forys adds.

For the Santangelos, what began as a week-long visit has become a seven-month stay, with quick trips back to New York for holidays because their grown children – a son and a daughter – and grandchildren insist. “We always go home for Christmas but as soon as the kids walk out, we get the tree down and the car packed and we’re on our way back here,” she says.

She is a retired travel agent, he had a successful career as a telecommunications executive with stints in places like Moscow and England. They expected to spend a week or two on a different beach every winter in exotic locations like Hawaii, Europe and the Caribbean. Instead, they bought a small condominium in Tierra Verde to be close to Fort DeSoto.

“This is the perfect place for us,” says Margaret. “We can ride our bikes down in the morning, then spend the afternoon kayaking.”

Their favorite spot is at the far tip of North Beach. “You can’t see anything that isn’t natural, no condos, no buildings at all, but there are restrooms and a snack bar just around the corner if we need them,” Steve says.

Margaret Santangelo describes Wilson plover chicks as “little cotton balls with big eyes and long legs.” iStock Photos.

That’s unless the weather is particularly nice and people flock to the beach – or they get a call about nesting birds that need their protection in the roped-off sanctuary. “Most of the time people aren’t trying to be mean, they just don’t understand that the birds need a place where they can rest in peace.”

And the birds absolutely understand that the sanctuary is a safe spot, she adds. “You can watch the bigger birds like the skimmers on the beach. When kids are playing nearby, they’ll fly up a couple of times but then it’s like ‘we’re out of here,’ and they’re back in the sanctuary where they know people aren’t allowed.”

When plovers began nesting early last spring, the Santangelos moved up the beach to sit next to the sanctuary with a sign telling people to ask them about the birds. “The plover chicks were the cutest things – like little cotton balls with big eyes and long legs. They didn’t understand the sanctuary though, so they kept zipping outside. Lorraine Margeson got us little signs that said ‘chicks crossing’ so people would be careful around them,” Margaret said.

Along with the shorebirds, the Santangelos keep track of the bald eagles that nest in the cell phone tower across the street from the North Beach snack bar as well as an owl’s nest in a nearby Australian pine. “You can already see the eagles working on the nest again this year,” Margaret said.

When they leave Florida sometime in the middle of May, they’ll go back to a home about 60 miles outside New York City and spend their summers volunteering as tour guides at a historical site in the middle of the Hudson River.

“Bannerman’s Castle was built by a munitions dealer who had to leave New York City after he bought so much surplus military equipment after the Spanish American War,” Steve said. “He built a series of warehouses in the shape of castles. A lot of them are in ruins now but there’s enough there to talk about in an hour and a half tour.”

But before they leave, they’ll celebrate their 49th wedding anniversary on February 8, probably with their friends at Fort DeSoto. “We’ve been very blessed,” Margaret says. “She’s the only one who would have ever put up with me for all these years,” adds Steve.

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Originally published Winter 2013