On the South End of Wrightsville Beach
From Sunrise...
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| photo by John Vorisek |
To Sunset...
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| photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg |
You will find the Wrightsville Beach Bird Stewards at your service...
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| photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg |
NESTING UPDATE as of June 27
Least Terns
Most of the Least Tern nests have hatched now. Some of the pairs that had to re-nest are still incubating, but most are busy feeding chicks. Hatching started early the second week of June (probably June 8) and will continue into early July. We’ll start to see flying chicks around or shortly after the Independence Day weekend.
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| photo by Laura Scullin |
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Least Tern Chick stretching its wings
photo by Laura Scullin |
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| photo by John Sutton |
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| photo by John Sutton |
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Least Tern Chicks are getting their feathers!
photo by John Sutton |
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| photo by Kathy Hannah |
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| photo by Don Ellson |
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| photo by Don Ellson |
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| photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg |
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| photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg |
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| photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg |
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| photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg |
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| photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg |
Please keep your eyes open for chicks that need extra help when they get caught outside the posting! And we need to keep the area clear of fishing line and lures that can injure the birds.
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| photos by John Vorisek |
We counted 232 Least Tern nests on our census, which is roughly 7% of the state’s nesting population of Least Terns!
Black Skimmers
The Black Skimmers began hatching during the first week of June too, just like the Least Terns. About half of their nests were hatched out on Tuesday’s nest check, and chicks are becoming more visible, especially if you scope out the dunes in the front and on the west side of the posting.
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| photo by John Sutton |
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| photo by John Sutton |
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| photo by Kathy Hannah |
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| photo by Don Ellson |
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photo by Don Ellson
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This "disposal" behavior helps keep the scrape clean while the chicks are still in and around it for the first few days of their lives. The inside of the shell has a little membrane and often a little goo in it after hatching, which may attract ants or smell enticing to predators. So, it's best for the birds to remove the eggshell from the nest. Many species do this, including all the ones we see at Southern Wrightsville Beach.
photos by Kathy Hannah |
We counted 175 Black Skimmer nests on our census, which is roughly 21% of the state’s nesting population of Black Skimmers!
Oystercatchers
We are happy to see that the pair on the sound side of the posting is still raising two chicks. Lindsay and Sharna banded BOTH of the chicks (dark green CP2 and CP3). One of the parents is dark green CKX.
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| photos by Don Ellson |
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| photo by John Sutton |
Unfortunately, we have not seen the pair that had been raising a chick at the southeast corner of the posting since June 15. If you see it, please let us know! Sadly, the other two pairs have lost their chicks as well. However, one of those pairs is nesting again, and one of them has also been banded. She is dark green CP1.
Common Terns
The Common Tern chicks made their first appearance as fledglings on Monday! Another parent with 3 chicks was seen this week in the front dunes on the sound side, close to where the Oystercatcher chicks hang out! Keep an eye out for them near the front dunes. Three pairs are also still incubating eggs.
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| photos by Kathy Hannah |
RE-NESTING AND LATE COURTSHIP BEHAVIOR INFORMATION
It is not unusual for oystercatchers, terns, and skimmers to re-nest following the loss of eggs or even young chicks. They won’t raise multiple broods in a season—once they fledge a batch, they are done! But, they will persist in trying to do so. In order to re-nest, they go back through courtship, so you may see some late mating and fish presenting going on. You may also see some individuals—especially among the Least Terns—presenting fish to very uninterested birds. These are probably young males who know they are supposed to try to attract a mate but that haven’t succeeded. But, they are getting good practice.
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| photo by Michelle Frazier |
SOUTH WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH NESTING COLONY IN THE LOCAL MEDIA
Check out a story that aired on WHQR about the south end!
Check out this news article that appeared in the Lumina News this week!
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| photo by Lindsay Addison |
You might notice some little wooden lean-tos in the colony the next time you visit. We added these to provide extra sources of shade for the chicks. The long heat wave we had didn't seem to have an appreciable impact on mortality rates (we always see some dead chicks which can be due to heat, ants, out-competition by siblings, etc.), and temperatures are now a little more reasonable, but Lindsay finally had time to gather some scrap wood to make a few chick shelters. They have been used successfully at other sites, particularly in Florida. Please share observations of how the birds react to them, and if they seem to be drawing crows or gulls!
Marlene was able to capture these photos this morning. She used her scope and phone, a skill I have yet to master!
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| photo by Marlene Eader |
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| photo by Marlene Eader |
Green Herons
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Green Heron Chicks along the parking strip have fledged!
photos by Kathy Hannah |
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