Lots of Chicks... Lots of Nests!

(updated after a nest check on Wednesday 5/29)

Least Terns - The Least Tern chicks are the most adorable right now at just a few days old and some are one week old.  We are now up to 44 nests!  Look for nests in the shells on the ocean front, sound side and the area in front of the Black Skimmers closer to the Coast Guard Station.  Some chicks are starting to run around and hopping as they spread their little stubby wings!

Look for an adult Least Tern adult with wings puffed out...
chicks will be tucked in for protection. 

American Oystercatchers – We have a total of three Oystercatcher nests and four chicks so far.  Two families have made an appearance.  CKX with 3 chicks appeared on Sunday hanging out in the shade by the dunes.

An un-banded pair made an appearance on Monday morning, after the bird walk with their chick.  They seem to be a confident pair and are closest to the Coast Guard Station and have been bringing the chick to the water regularly.  They generally spend time shading the chick with their wings and bodies between the posting and the water so be watchful when you are out on the beach and give the Oystercatchers plenty of room. Please walk between the Oystercatchers and the posting…up by the string if they are at the water.

CT4 is still incubating her three eggs and during the nest check Wednesday morning, it appears to be another 2 weeks before her chicks hatch.

photos by Marlene Eader

photos by Sherry Lane

Black Skimmers – The Black Skimmers have not lost any nests since the last nest check so that is good.  Maybe the Ruddy Turnstones (who were seen eating some Skimmer eggs earlier last week) think it’s too hot up by the nests and decided to stay by the water!

Look back in the dunes in the bottom two photos for two Common Tern nests.

Common Terns – Common Terns were hatching Wednesday morning!  Our NC Audubon biologist was able to snap a picture for us of one of the newly hatched Common Tern chicks before the parents starting diving at her!

photo by Lindsay Addison

It appears that we have more than 8 Common Tern nests, but keep checking our blog for updates.

Least Tern Chick videos

Watching the Least Terns and their new chicks is just another reason to go to the beach this summer  

We Have Least Tern Chicks!

NEST CHECK UPDATE – Our Audubon biologist did a nest check early Sunday, May 19 morning…

LEAST TERNS – We have 19 nesting on the south end and at least four of the nests already have chicks, with more hatching every day.  Look closely at the pairs in the shells on the inlet side, and up by the Black Skimmer nest marked by a tongue depressor BS17 in the shells…also inlet side.

These pictures of the new Least Tern chicks are reason enough for everyone to head for the beach!

The chicks are well camouflaged in the shells and sand.
photo by Michelle Frazier

New chicks are occasionally left on their own for short periods of time while the parents look for food.
photo by Michelle Frazier

photo by Michelle Frazier

photo by Michelle Frazier

Can you see the chick on the right tucked under the parent's wing?
photo by Michelle Frazier

Look VERY CLOSELY to the left of the parent and you will see a chick peeking out!
 photo by Michelle Frazier

photo by Michelle Frazier

Feeding Time
photo by Michelle Frazier

A family portrait
photo by Michelle Frazier

photo by Michelle Frazier

OYSTERCATCHERS – The oystercatchers have three nests (eggs) and continue to incubate them.   You will see two banded Oystercatchers CKX and CT4.  CKX had a chick last year at the south end and a picture of this particular bird with last year’s mate and chick is on the Wrightsville Beach Bird Steward shirts this year! 

You will commonly see a lone oystercatcher cooling by the water (hanging out with the Skimmers!) while the other oystercatcher is on the nest.

BLACK SKIMMERS – We have the largest colony of Black Skimmers in the State of North Carolina this year on the south end.  The high count yesterday was 368 Black Skimmers!

It was  confirmed on Sunday (5/19) that the Skimmers are in the process of laying eggs and the nests observed had 1 or 2 egg clutches.

COMMON TERNS – We have 8 pairs of Common Terns close to the dunes among the Black Skimmers.  One pair of Common Terns chose to nest on the ocean side of the posting.  This pair was consistently up off the nest, dive bombing people and while they were doing that Laughing Gulls would come in and attempt to take an egg.  The poor Common Tern was trying to protect her nest from people and gulls at the same time!

(About 33 Black Skimmers are seen apparently nesting on the ocean side of the posting close to this Common Tern pair along the dune and in the vegetation.)

WILLETS – It is very likely that we have Willet chicks now since the behavior of the Willets has become more protective as you attempt to leave through access 44.  The only time we have seen Willet chicks is in the very early morning walking along the water towards the Coast Guard Station.   

Local Shorebirds Make the News

Click the link below to read an article from the front page of today's StarNews

Did Florence help nesting shorebirds near Wilmington?

Click the link below to see photos from last week's (5/13/19) Bird Walk

Monday morning Bird Walk in photos

Lots of Action in the Colony!

We’d like to extend a big THANK YOU to the students and faculty at Wrightsville Beach Elementary School for another spectacular batch of posting signs that will help visitors to the south end understand and respect the importance of the boundary around the nesting colony area.  

American Oystercatchers – We saw six Oystercatchers Monday night including one banded with CT4 and another banded CWC.  CKX is also in the posting.  Interesting fact…CT4 & CKX were both banded as adult birds while nesting on the south end of Wrightsville Beach. 

 
On Sunday (5/4) our Audubon biologist did a nest check at sunrise and discovered two Oystercatcher nest, that means we have EGGS!  As soon as the nests can be seen from outside the posting, we will let all of you know! We know there is a good possibility of a third nest but weren’t able to find it Sunday since the Oystercatcher tracks had been cleared because of the rain.

Black Skimmers – There were 306 Black Skimmers in the colony on both Saturday and Sunday.  The Skimmers are coupling up and have begun courtship behaviors including fish presentations and are mating on the beach for all to see!   
We believe nesting has begun with the Skimmers.  Our biologist chose not to disturb the front of the colony when she was doing her nest check on Sunday.

Look for the Common Terns nesting among the Black Skimmers

Common Terns –  Five pairs of Common Terns have been seen in the posted area and one pair has a nest on top of one of the high dunes.   Scan the dunes and the area on the front of the dunes behind the Skimmers and you will see the Common Terns.

Least Terns – We are excited to see some Least Terns in the colony and it appears that more are coming each day.  We have seen approximately 25 Least Terns courting, scraping and/or nesting in the sand in the front of the Black Skimmers on all three sides in the sand.  Using your binoculars look closely in the sand and shells because they blend in perfectly.

Starting 9AM Monday May 6, join the Wrightsville Beach Bird Stewards for a free walk around the posted area and watch the nesting season unfold! @ Wrightsville Beach Access #43.