A Chick-A-Boom
Both the least tern and black skimmer are either threatened or a species of special concern throughout much of their range.
Both have adapted to the loss of their natural nesting habitat on undisturbed beaches by nesting on flat gravel roofs.
Unfortunately, now they are losing that nesting habitat because gravel roofs are being rapidly replaced by a new rubberized roofing material.
While studying this problem -- and recently in a more comprehensive beach nesting birds protection project for Florida's West coast avians, including: American oystercatchers, and Wilson's and snowy plovers -- members of the St. Petersburg, Florida Audubon Society developed a rescue tool they dubbed, "The Chick-a-boom".
Inexpensive, easy-to-assemble, and efficient, the "chick re-tern" tool, as they like to describe it, is used to place fallen chicks back up on roofs as high as 24 feet (or a tall two-story building) without a ladder.
Construction and Transportation
First off, see the Assembly Instructions on the next page. The most important part is the 1/2-inch electrical conduit pipe sold in sections 10 feet long. It is available at Home Depot and other hardware stores. The full 10-foot sections fit in a minivan or can be carried on a roof-rack. For smaller cars, you can use 3 sections of pipe 7 feet long and two connectors instead of one. The conduit is easily cut with a hacksaw.
Making the connectors is the hardest part. Cut a 6-inch piece of the conduit off with the hacksaw. Then cut it lengthwise with a hacksaw, using a vice. The screwdriver is used to pry it open to about 1/4 inch wide. A metal file is needed to smooth the edges of the metal connector. If not, the sharp edges will cut your car upholstery.
Note that the connectors can he left on one of the pipes when the tool is disassembled for transportation.
Use of Chick-a-boom
When looking for fallen chicks, remember that they often crouch down in corners and can be hard to spot.
Small chicks can just be picked up. The older chicks run and are sometimes hard to catch. We usually try to herd the chick into a corner or into the grass to slow it down.
You can (delicately) throw a towel over them, or use a long-handled net such as for landing fish - just gently place it over them to tangle them up. Then gently pick the chick up. Don't let them run under any large equipment like an air conditioner.
Once you have the chick, place it into a deep cardboard box with newspaper in the bottom. Keep the box in the shade, not in an air-conditioned place or in the full sun. Then assemble the tool.
First, lift the chick-a-boom up to the roof once, just to practice the maneuver. It is important to gauge correctly how high the roof is, so you can do it smoothly. Practice a few times. It can be a little awkward to raise the pipe up to the vertical.
Then, lay the tool down on the ground, place the chick into the carton with the opening upwards and close the lid. Slowly lift the tool up towards the vertical position. Brace the lower end of the pipe against the side of your foot for better leverage.
As you raise the pipe, watch the carton to make sure it stays facing upwards the entire time.
Lean the tool against the roof, with the carton about two feet above the roofline.
It helps to have someone watching from a distance, to help you be certain that the bird lands in the right place. You won't be able to see the chick when it drops down, as it will be out of view over the roof.
Turn the carton upside down by rotating the pipe so the carton is now facing downwards. The lid opens by itself and the chick falls gently out onto the roof.
Assembly
- 2-3 pieces 10 ft x 1/2 inch electrical conduit pipe. $1.60 each. (Home Depot carries this in the Electrical section, for wiring).
- 2, 1-inch radiator hose clamps. $1.00 each.
- Metal connectors (made from short piece of conduit, see Construction and Transportation on other page).
- Small paint stirrer.
- Duct tape.
- Square plastic lid, such as from a Tupperware container.
- Screwdriver, flathead.
- Half-gallon cardboard carton, such as from orange juice or milk.
Materials Needed:
- Cut the top of the carton off. Place plastic lid on the mouth of the milk carton. Tape lid across top edge with duct tape, so it works like a hinge, opening outwards. Cut two slits in side of milk carton at the base. Slide wooden paint stirrer into the slits.
- Use duct tape around each end of the wooden stirrer to attach to conduit.
- Put a hose clamp on each end of the metal connector.
- Insert the ends of the 2 conduit pipes into the metal connector. Tighten the 2 hose clamps with the screwdriver.
