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Least Tern fledgling practicing flight
photo by Kevin Giannini |
LEAST TERNS (LETE)
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 shade by a nearby plant. Protecting chicks from Ghost Crab and Gull predation also continues.
We are beginning to see LETE “fledglings” and several are attempting and practicing flight. Several LETE are re-nesting and incubating eggs.
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Kevin Giannini |
COMMON TERNS (COTE)
Common Tern chicks can be seen throughout the posting and the COTE parents have been actively keeping beachgoers (and bird stewards!) a safe distance away. We have Common Tern nests throughout the posting. Incubation and hatching continues.
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Kathy Hannah |
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| photo by Patricia Ihnat |
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| photo by Patricia Ihnat |
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| photo by Patricia Ihnat |
BLACK SKIMMERS (BLSK)
We have 97 Black Skimmer nests with the potential for another 20 nests. Chicks have begun hatching and can be seen oceanfront and on the inlet side on the west side of the posting (towards the Coast Guard Station). A total of 234 Black Skimmers breeding…not counting the non-breeding skimmers who are too young to mate this year.
If you see a Black Skimmer flying in with a fish, follow it with your binoculars right to its nest to feed chicks. Adorable! Courtship, mating, nesting and incubation continues.
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Kevin Giannini |
AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS (AMOY)
We are saddened to report that EMY’s chick disappeared sometime Thursday night (6/2). We believe that it could have been the result of a ghost crab.
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
These photographs (taken on Thursday afternoon, 6/2) are from the last time we saw the AMOY chick.
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| photo by Renee Tevelow |
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| photo by Renee Tevelow |
You may now see both pairs of Oystercatchers (EMY & mate) and (CT4 & CF0) on the south end and in the posting. We remain optimistic that next year may be more successful for them.
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Tom Hanna |
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| photo by Martin West |
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