Man lands helicopter amid protected bird nests on Egmont Key

A Bradenton man forced dozens of protected shorebirds to flee their nests when he landed his company’s helicopter at the southern tip of Egmont Key State Park earlier this month. According to the Florida Department of Wildlife, tens of thousands of birds gather at the protected area during breeding season.

A video of the incident obtained by the Tampa Bay Times shows the helicopter’s whirring rotors kicking up sand and flocks of wading birds emerging from their nests on the beach at the protected wildlife refuge on May 12. Shortly after landing, a woman exited the helicopter and began taking photos, according to a Florida wildlife incident report.

Ernesto Cordero, 53, was piloting the helicopter and was charged with harassing federally endangered species, landing a helicopter in a state park and entering a restricted area, the incident report said.

Cordero told investigators he landed at the state park because “he could smell fuel and believed he may have a fuel leak.” When investigators asked Cordero if he reported an emergency to air traffic control because of the fuel smell, he said he did not. Cordero apologized when authorities said he landed in a closed part of the state park and also in a wildlife area, according to the incident report.

The registered owner of the helicopter is Bradenton-based landscaping company CC Landscaping Warehouse Plus, Inc., according to flight tracking data company FlightAware. Cordero is listed as the company’s owner, according to Florida Division of Corporations records.

Flight data shows that Cordero’s 101-mile journey began at Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg, continued along the Gulf Coast over Fort De Soto Park and then over the southern tip of Egmont Key before finally landing in Punta Gorda. Records show the helicopter descending below 75 feet over Egmont Key for at least three minutes.

When we reached Cordero by phone Thursday, he reiterated to the Tampa Bay Times that he landed his helicopter in the preserve because he was concerned about a fuel spill. He also said he did not feel it was necessary to contact air traffic control about his concerns.

“What will (air traffic control) suggest to me?” Cordero said.

He also lamented the extent of the ongoing investigation into the incident, which he said now includes the Federal Aviation Administration. Cordero also lamented his upcoming court date in Hillsborough County and that more focus should be on the boaters near Egmont Key — rather than his company’s helicopter — who are stressing the birds. The FAA did not respond to requests for comment.

“I don’t deny that it was wrong,” Cordero said. “If you want protection on the island, you have to protect it from boats.”

Cordero apologized and said he knew the helicopter’s landing had stressed the protected birds. He also said the woman witnesses saw taking photos was his girlfriend and was checking for fuel leaks. Cordero told authorities he did not have to leave the helicopter after landing because he was able to check for fuel leaks through the cockpit door.

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“I have to accept the consequences,” Cordero said. “I know that.”

Cordero landed the helicopter in the middle of Tampa Bay’s shorebird breeding season, which runs roughly from March to September. A recent bird count in the area where Cordero landed his helicopter found about 50,000 nesting pairs of shorebirds, including brown pelicans, white ibises, black-headed gulls and royal terns, according to the incident report.

Accessible primarily by boat (or helicopter), Egmont Key Nature Preserve is home to the highest breeding colony of black-headed gulls in all of Florida and also one of the highest breeding colonies of royal terns in the state, with over 7,000 pairs, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. According to the incident report, Florida’s Department of Conservation also identified several species abandoning their nests in the video of Cordero’s landing, including black-billed and sandwich terns.

Cordero’s violations were second-degree misdemeanors and it’s up to the courts to decide what the penalty might be, according to Ashlee Sklute, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Hillsborough County court records show Cordero will be arraigned on July 1 for violating state park rules.

In a statement to the Times, Audubon Florida praised Florida Conservation Officer Lt. Michael Bibeau for investigating the incident. Bibeau received an award from the nonprofit last year for his work protecting shorebirds in Pinellas County during busy holiday weekends.

“We are grateful to Lt. Bibeau for his quick response to the helicopter incident at Egmont Key,” said Audrey DeRose-Wilson, Florida Audubon’s bird conservation director.

“Helicopters can cause significant disturbance to nesting birds, increasing exposure of eggs and chicks to heat and predators, or causing birds to abandon their nesting sites altogether.”