On 10 August, three barges (one carrying phosphate ore, one jet fuel, and one fuel oil) collided at the mouth of Tampa Bay, causing 330,000 gallons of fuel oil to escape. Initial winds and tides kept most of the oil off the beaches, allowing about 200,000 gallons to be recovered, but the remainder washed ashore within the next few days. On 18 and 19 August, Rich Paul surveyed the Pinellas Gulf coast from 10 miles north of Johns Pass to 24 miles south, and determined that about 12% of the nesting Brown Pelicans were "lightly oiled", but most birds had fortunately ceased nesting by that time and were not present at the colonies. Closer to Johns Pass, heavily oiled birds were brought to the Pinellas Seabird Rehabilitation Center, which treated about 360 birds of 15 species, mostly yearling Brown Pelicans. Over 85% of the pelicans were later released. Double-crested Cormorants and Great Blue Herons also recovered well, but smaller waders, terns, and other species suffered high mortality. ?Flooded fields in western Palm Beach County hosted huge numbers of waders and shorebirds this fall, including a spectacular mixed flock of 10,000 Glossy Ibises, 1500 Wood Storks, and 1000 Fulvous Whistling-Ducks east of Belle Glade 17 October! On 15 September, Jocie Baker reported "several thousand" shorebirds of 10 species south of South Bay, and many other sightings from that area are included in this report.
On 29 August at Fort De Soto Park, Lyn and Brooks Atherton noted an impressive warbler flock of 17 species, including 1 Blue-winged, 1 Golden-winged, 4 Cerulean, 1 Blackburnian, 4 Hooded, and 2 Kentucky warblers. For the fifth consecutive year, Wayne Hoffman organized a hawk watch at Boot Key, south of Marathon. Among the 671 individuals of 11 species was the state's all-time high count of Peregrine Falcons. Wayne's data suggest that Boot Key may rival Cape May, New Jersey as the premier hawk-watching site on the east coast. Lastly,
fall 1993 witnessed an "invasion" of Snow Geese throughout the state, even as far south as Palm Beach County.
Contributors: Howard Adams, B. J. Anderson, Bruce Anderson, Sybil Arbery, Jim Arnold, Brooks Atherton, Lyn Atherton, Steve Backes, Jocie Baker, Wilson Baker, Dick Ballman, Jane Ballman, Richard Ballman, Fred Bates, Virginia Bates, Ted Below, Bettye Biggs, Wes Biggs, Paul Blair, Jeff Bledsoe, Seth Blitch, Woody Bracey, Bill Bremser, J. Brunner, Steve Buettner, Dan Canterbury, R. Carlton, Ed Case, Jim Cavanagh, Barbara Center, Ted Center, Cynthia Christen, Ron Christen, Maria Cicciarelli, Julie Cocke, Patricia Collings, Buck Cooper, Linda Cooper, Mort Cooper, Ele Colborn, Jim Cox, Renee Crain, Bob Duncan, John Edscorn, Duncan Evered, Hugh Fagan, Donna Fellers, Paul Fellers, Laura Findley, John Fitzpatrick, Gene Fleming, Anita Foder, Eula Fontaine, Ann Forster, Dot Freeman, Ike Fromberg, Will Fullilove, Charles Garrett, Mary Garvin, Chuck Geanangel, Wally George, Red Gidden, Sheri Gill, Jack Gillen, Marguerite Girard, Steve Goodbred, Dave Goodwin, Lyn Gould, Marvin Greenburg, Simon Hackshaw, Blake Hardison, Bill Hardy, Dawn Harris, Dale Henderson, John Hintermister, Wayne Hoffman, Harry Hooper, Brian Hope, Larry Hopkins, Gloria Hunter, Ann Ingram, Richard Ingram, Fran James, Dean Jue, Sally Jue, Randy Kautz, Herb Kale, Ed Keppner, Lisa Keppner, Richard Kiltie, Curtis Kingsbery, Bruce Kittredge, Marion Kittredge, Jim Knepton, Mary Knepton, Arlene Kretschmar, Brian Krikorian, Jerry Krummrich, Jay LaVia, Margaret Lambert, Howard Langridge, Frank Logan, Horace Loftin, Fred Lohrer, Michael Manetz, Nancy McClelleand, Lenore McCullagh, Jim McGinity, Vince McGrath, Annie McKelvey, Mike McMillian, Tony Menart, Gail Menk, Victoria Merritt, Lyla Messick, E. Miller, Bill Milmore, Tom Morrill, Barbara Muschlitz, David Narins, Katy NeSmith, Elizabeth O'Dell, David O'Neill, Elizabeth O'Neill, Joe Ondrejko, Jeff Palmer, Tom Palmer, Rich Paul, Peggy Powell, Bill Pranty, Alice Rasmussen, Arnold Rawson, Susan Rein, Joe Reinman, Cathy Reno, Laura Richard, Larry Riopelle, Harry Robinson, Ed Rosenberg, Rex Rowan, Sean Rowe, Ted Rybicki, Bob Sargent, Martha Sargent, Ann Schnapf, Camille Sewell, David Shock, Jim Sigsbee, Marge Sheasby, Christine Small, Parks Small, Lori Smith, P. William Smith, Ron Smith, Susan Smith, Annette Stedman, Carol Stevenson, Jim Stevenson, Gene Stoccardo, Doug Stotz, Kim Strangeland, Mike Strangeland, Dana Struthers, Dave Sumpter, Keith Tarvin, Debra Taylor, Nancy Taylor, Phil Tetlow, Pete Timmer, Preston Toole, Paul Tritaik, Jean Turner, Juan Villamil, Dorothy Waldman, Steve Walter, Noel Wamer, David Ward, Don Ware, Chuck Weber, Rick West, Terry West, Jim Wheat, Donna White, Eddie White, Margie Wilkinson, Glen Woolfenden, Betty Wotton, Bob Wotton, Ann Ziccardi.