It all began with an Audubon membership. Rogerio DaSilva, a Naples-area nature photographer, turned a member of and donor to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. While he beloved photographing the wading birds and songbirds of the Sanctuary, he had a dream: to seize in his lens the spectacular nesting behaviors of coastal Black Skimmers and Royal Terns.
Florida’s seashores and barrier islands are vital nesting habitat for this species, and the morning was alive with their power— resting, preening, courting, and launching into the Gulf breeze.
– Rogerio DaSilva, Photographer
In April, DaSilva received the chance to spend a morning with Director of Leadership Giving Anny Shepard and Southwest Florida Shorebird Program Manager Megan Hatten to see the nesting birds in motion. They spent hours on the water, holding a respectful distance and guaranteeing their presence didn’t change the birds’ habits—per moral pictures pointers. DaSilva explains: “What unfolded was far more than a birdwatching excursion. It was a window into why this work matters, and why the people who fund it make a genuine difference on the ground.”
For DaSilva, photographing a Royal Tern courtship dance turned a visit spotlight: “Crests fully raised, orange bills catching the Florida light, they circled and postured in a ritual that has played out on these shores for millennia.” The Black Skimmers additionally didn’t disappoint. “Black Skimmers dominated the shell flats in numbers that took the breath away,” says DaSilva.
We should flock collectively to guard these weak birds and their particular nesting habitat now and into the long run. Audubon has an formidable plan to lift $1.5 million for Audubon’s coastal work by 2032. Together, we are able to be sure that Florida stays a spot to see and admire sea and shorebirds for future generations.
This article was printed within the Summer 2026 Naturalist.
