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| Photo by Hannah White |
Now is the time to head to the south end of Wrightsville Beach! There are Least Tern, Common Tern, and Black Skimmer chicks running all over the beach. We have newly hatched chicks as well as fledglings practicing using their new feathers. OYSTERCATCHERS (AMOY)
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Phot by Kevin Giannini
The pair of American Oystercatchers that we have been watching had two new chicks that hatched on July 16. Sadly behavior of the parent oystercatchers the next morning suggested that their new chicks were lost. |
BLACK SKIMMERS (BLSK)
No need for binoculars to see all the Black Skimmer chicks that are racing around the beach.
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| Photo by Hannah White |
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| Photo by Hannah White |
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| Photo by Hannah White |
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| Photo by Maxine Hannah |
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| Photo by Maxine Hannah |
LEAST TERNS (LETE)
As incubation continues, new fluffy chicks, older chicks, fledglings and several who are flying and leave the posting during the day can be seen in the colony.
The Least Tern fledglings are becoming stronger flyers and beginning to practice the hover and plunging action needed to feed themselves. Parents will encourage this activity and stay close by and will also continue to feed their young during migration until they develop this skill and can feed themselves.
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| Photo by Maxine Hannah |
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| Photo by Cathy Cummins |
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| Photo by Cathy Cummins |
COMMON TERNS (COTE)
The Common Terns are nesting very close to the posting and have newly hatched chicks. If you see one sitting on a posting be alert! They are fierce protectors of their chicks.
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Photo by Camille Daniels
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| Photo by Camille Daniels |
There were several Black Terns visiting the south end the morning of 7/25.
An outlier in a world of white seabirds, breeding Black Terns are a handsome mix of -gray and jet black. Their delicate form and neatly pointed wings provide tremendous agility as these birds flutter and swoop to pluck fish from the water’s surface or veer to catch flying insects, much as a swallow does. Black Terns nest in large freshwater marshes, in small loose colonies. Our visitors may be migrating. Black Terns are harder to find during migration, as they move quickly. They may turn up in almost any kind of wetland, but they don’t stay in one spot for long.
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| Photo by Cathy Cummins |
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| Photo by Cathy Cummins |
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