We Have Chicks! , 5/21

It seems I can't write this blog fast enough for the action on the beach. This update arrived just hours after I finished the previous entry.....

Get those cameras ready!!!  

Willet chicks were seen Thursday morning.  Below is a picture that a NC Audubon staff member took when they were in the nest.  Notice that they were new enough that the parents had not removed the egg shells yet, but their feathers were dry.....probably 1 day old. (A reminder that ONLY NC Staff members may go into the postings!)

Here are the WIllet chicks. A third was just out of the nest so it's not pictured.
(photo by Lindsay Addison)

The first oystercatcher nest has hatched as well, but those chicks are usuallly well hidden. However they were on the beach Thursday morning, so you just might get a chance to see them this weekend!

 Black Skimmers are still just beginning to lay. As of Thursday there were three nests. 

The Least Terns are coming along. They lost some nests in the rainstorm. Most had one egg and they probably weren't incubating yet, so they may not have sat on them (they don't incubate in earnest until they complete their clutch), or perhaps they got flushed off for some reason and the eggs were rained on. However, there are many new nests that are doing well. Ideally the colony will be well established and the birds will be very into sitting on their nests by the weekend.

A note about the posting. On the southeast corner, just before you get to the front, a small group of terns has started nesting. They are close to the edge of the posting and we can't expand it any farther. They should be fine but photographers or birdwatchers who may be on the correct side of the string can still cause the birds to flush or walk off the nests. Staying back from the string 10 or 15 feet will make a big difference, and we can still birdwatch or take photos from very close. If you watch the birds and notice that they are not settling down and doing the behaviors they were doing before you or someone else came close to the string,  step back. 

See you on the beach!!!