Good News to Share

Lindsay, our NC Audubon biologist,  just completed her nest check this morning and we have great news to report.

American Oystercatchers – 

We knew we had five pairs and we now officially have five nests too!  Remember…a scrape is just a “scrape” until there are eggs in it.  Eggs make the scrape a “nest”!  Exciting!  We have records of Oystercatcher nests at the south end going back to 2011 and we have never exceeded 4 nests!

Black Skimmers – 

The Skimmers are laying eggs and incubating!  On Thursday we counted 266 adult birds in the colony!  Courtship behaviors and mating continues!

Common Terns – 

We have 9 nests!  You can see the Common Tern nests behind the Least Tern nests and before the Skimmer “neighborhood”!

Least Terns - 

Least terns have been arriving in big numbers!  We counted 160 adults sitting on nests and incubating eggs.  Fish presentations and mating continues in the posting and on the beach.  TIP: If you watch a Least Tern return to the colony with a fish, you may also see the bird feed its mate on the nest. Very sweet!

Now that we have nests here are some coming attractions...

American Oystercatchers

• 1-4 eggs
•  Buffy gray, usually speckled with dark brown
• Nests attended by two females and one male may have 5-6 eggs
• Incubation is by both sexes, 24-28 days
• Young: Downy young leave nest shortly after they hatch
• Both parents feed young for at least 2 months after hatching, although young may attempt to forage on their own well before parents stop feeding them
• Age at first flight about 5 weeks.

Black Skimmers

• 4-5 eggs,sometimes 3, rarely 6-7
• Variable in color, whitish to buff to blue-green, marked with dark brown
• Incubation is by both sexes (male may do more), 21-23 days
• Young: Both parents feed young, by regurgitation
• Upper and lower mandibles of young are same length at first, so they are able to pick up food dropped on the ground by parents
• Young wander in vicinity of nest after a few days; if danger threatens, may attempt to look inconspicuous by lying flat on beach, even kicking up sand to make a hollow to lie in
• Able to fly at about 23-25 days.

Common Terns

• 1-3 eggs
• Variable, buff to pale blue or olive, marked with brown and black
• Incubation is by both parents (female may do more), 21-25 days
• Young: Leave nest after a few days but remain nearby, are fed by both parents
• Age at first flight about 22-28 days; may remain with parents another 2 months or more
• One brood per year, rarely two.

Least Terns  

• 1-3 eggs, perhaps rarely more
• Buff to pale green, blotched with black, brown, gray
• Incubation is by both sexes; female may do more in early stages, male more later
• In very hot weather, adult may dip into water and wet belly feathers to cool eggs
• Incubation period 20-25 days
• Young: Leave nest a few days after hatching, find places to hide nearby
• Both parents feed young
• Age at first flight about 19-20 days; young may remain with parents another 2-3 months
• One brood per year, sometimes two in south.