AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS – The Oystercatcher banded EMY and “unbanded” mate who are seen consistently on the inlet side have been making scrapes, but our NC Audubon biologist has not seen any eggs. EMY is the adult Oystercatcher that had a successful fledging in 2021.
Oystercatcher banded CT4 and mate CF0 have been seen ocean side. CT4 nested last year but lost the chicks within days.
Remember the birds may practice making scrapes during courtship, but scrapes are only considered “nests” once they have eggs in them.
BLACK SKIMMERS – Black Skimmers have been arriving in groups. We counted 122 this week!
Five Black Skimmers with black leg bands were seen at the water’s edge which mean they were banded in North Carolina by our NC Audubon biologist, Lindsay, and her coast team in the last few years. These birds were banded as chicks and have returned! How cool is that!
COMMON TERNS – You may see the Common Terns on the signs and several pairs have begun fish presentations and courtship activity. Three pairs were seen in the interior of the posting close to the high dunes.
LEAST TERNS – A handful of Least Terns have been seen flying over the south end with fish! A significant group of Least Terns is present on the north end of Wrightsville Beach and New Hanover County has extended the north end posting to accommodate the bird activity.
OTHER GUESTS — Several pairs of Willets are in the dunes and we hope to see them on the shoreline with their chicks in a few weeks.
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| Groups of Royal Terns and Sandwich Terns have also visited the nesting area. |
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