Our Shorebirds Are Demonstrating Incredible Parenting Skills

 

Black Skimmer chicks.... note the speckled egg between them!
photo by Gretchen Schramm

NEST CHECK NUMBERS

Lindsay, our NC Audubon biologist, was able to do a nest check in the early morning  of 5/31 and we have some numbers for you.  A special thanks to our great bird friends, Jill and Kate, who braved going into the colony with the aggressive Common Terns to count nests with Lindsay!         

LEAST TERNS (LETE) – Incubation and hatching continues for the Least Terns and most of the day is spent protecting their chicks from predators.  As the days become hotter, you will see the parent birds continuing to protect their chicks from heat stress by shading them or standing close to the chicks as the chicks seek shelter/shade by a nearby plant. Lindsay counted 16 LETE chicks and 4 LETE re-nesting and incubating eggs. Some of the LETE chicks have already begun transforming to fledglings and a few have even been seen trying their wings.

photo by Martin West

photo by Martin West

photo by Martin West

photo by Martin West

COMMON TERNS (COTE) – Common Tern chicks can be seen on top of the dunes Oceanside and on the inlet side.  We have about 10 Common Tern nests throughout the posting.

photo by Cordelia Norris

photo by Cordelia Norris

Common Tern triplets on the soundside
photo by Cordelia Norris

BLACK SKIMMERS (BLSK) – Lindsay counted 97 Black Skimmer nests and a few are beginning to hatch. Chicks can also be seen Oceanside just below the Common Tern nest that is on top of the dune.  Courtship, mating, nesting and incubation continues.  We have another 20 pairs making scrapes.

Notice the egg under the parent and the 3 very new chicks nearby.
photo by Patricia Ihnat

photo by Patricia Ihnat

photos by Gretchen Schramm

photos by Kathy Hannah

photos by Kathy Hannah

photo by Gretchen Schramm

These next two photographs by Patricia Ihnat demonstrate our Black Skimmers "skimming"!

OYSTERCATCHERS (AMOY) – We have one Oystercatcher chick on the beach by the AMOY pair (one parent is banded EMY) that nested on the inlet side of the posting.  The Oystercatcher family made its appearance Saturday (5/21).   So adorable…you will just want to watch them all day!

Photo by Kathy Hannah 

Photo by Martin West

It appears that the other Oystercatcher pair has lost their chick.  CT4 and mate CF0 were seen together on the Oceanside of the nesting colony together without their chick on Sunday evening (5/29).

Parent birds work hard to get their chicks to the water to drink and cool their bodies.  We our encourage beach guests to stop and enjoy this unique opportunity to see this behavior.

It is very important that all the chicks are able to get to the water to prevent heat stress so PLEASE observe from a safe distance.  Our behaviors affect the bird’s behaviors. If we are standing too close, looking at them with binoculars, taking photos, or standing between the birds and the water, the parent birds will not escort their chick to the water.     

You will also notice wooden shelters have been placed in the colony.  We are hopeful that the shelters will protect the various chicks from heat stress and also make it more difficult for predation from gulls.

photo by proud grandma Kathy Hannah