Rescued seabirds find sanctuary after being injured during Debby

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Debby killed or injured countless seabirds along Florida's West Coast according to Florida Audubon. 

On St. Pete Beach, the storm-ravaged a colony of Black Skimmers, considered threatened in Florida. Many of the chicks in that colony had already left the nest, but not all of them.    

"We had upward of 30 chicks that were still on the ground," Holley Short of Audubon Florida explained. "Unfortunately, those eggs and those really young chicks just did not make it through the storm."

As the Gulf continued to churn with the remnants of Debby on Wednesday, the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary on Indian Rocks beach was flooded with nearly 60 injured birds.

READ: 'It's indescribable:' Sarasota neighborhood turned into a swamp by Tropical Storm Debby

"They are traumatic injuries," said Melissa Edwards, the sanctuary's hospital director. "We're seeing wing fractures, leg fractures, and hypothermic birds that got very waterlogged by all of the rain."

If there's a silver lining in this storm cloud it's that it was late enough in the season to where many of the chicks had already left the nest, more than 100. Those who had hoped for a perfect nesting season are disappointed, but with all the wind and rain that Debby brought, they're also thankful the entire colony wasn't wiped out. 

"They were hunkering down, taking care of their chicks when they were able to," Short explained.  

READ: Dozens of volunteers help animal sanctuary recover from damage caused by Debby

Hurricane season isn't over and for birds who live on the coast, there's limited shelter from what the rest of the season might bring. 

Audubon Florida asks beach visitors not to disturb bird colonies. They hope the adults remain healthy to produce more chicks next season. 

SIGN UP: Click here to sign up for the FOX 13 daily newsletter