Wrightsville Beach Bird Stewards: Commotion Terns and Chick Mayhem

photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg

Usually with the beginning of August our nesting colony begins to slow down and we prepare to say goodbye to our shorebirds as their new chicks get their feathers, learn to fly, and begin feeding themselves. But that is not what is happening this season! On our weekly Monday morning Bird Walk on 7/29 we saw SEVEN newly hatched Common Tern chicks exploring the beach.

One of our clever Bird Stewards coined the term "Commotion Terns" for these Common Tern chicks since they make their presence in the colony well known. As an added feature of this "chick mayhem" the Common Tern parents are our most aggressive birds and have been alerting any beachgoer that they WILL protect their new chicks!

Here are some recent photographs of what is happening....