Skimmer Chicks and More. June 10, 2014

If you are going to the nesting colony just once a week, you may want to come more often for the next couple weeks because there is cuteness everywhere!!  We have been watching the Oystercatcher chick grow like crazy since Memorial Day weekend and now we are starting to spot Black Skimmer chicks and the Common Tern chicks too!!

Lindsay discovered the Black Skimmers were starting to hatch on Saturday (6/7) during her regular nest check.   Garold, Michelle, and Jeannie have all spotted black skimmer chicks with their binoculars and scopes within the last 2 days.  Just be watchful for parents coming back to the colony with fish and follow them with your optics…they will lead you right to the nest and you can see the little ones!

Marlene was able to assist Lindsay with her nest check on Monday morning (6/9) and took a couple of pictures to share with you with her iPhone.

Black Skimmer hatchlings are so adorable…..

NESTING ACTIVITY

The Black Skimmers have over 100 nests now, and are scraping and laying more eggs and incubating, hatching and feeding!  Lots of activity now!   Nests are located in the front of the highway, and the side dunes, so if you are on ocean front side of the nesting area, you will be able to show people skimmers there too.   Follow the adults coming in with fish with your optics and you will see chicks!

We now have 12 Common Tern nests and they are also hatching.  A few more pictures that I took yesterday morning with my iPhone during the nest check with Lindsay…. Notice the sophisticated nest the common tern builds compared to the scrapes of the other birds….

Least Terns are still in the area and continue to make scrapes.  It is difficult for them to be successful with small numbers and the local crow “murder”, but they keep trying.  I love that!  I will keep you posted if we see any eggs.  We saw a number of scrapes ocean side along the side dunes.

The first Oystercatcher pair has one remaining chick which can be seen sound side being fed regularly by the parents.   This little guy is getting big!  Layne has been referring to him as “Rye” as in Catcher in the Rye….  I think it is catchy!!  The second pair seems to have lost their remaining chick.  The other two pairs are still in the dunes and incubating their eggs.

 

LUMINA NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT NORTH END OF WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH….

 

This week’s issue of the Lumina News has an article detailing the poor condition of the posting at the north end of Wrightsville Beach and the devastating effect on the birds that were nesting in the area over the Memorial Day holiday.  Lindsay has several important comments.  

 

We encourage you to read the article and if you are so motivated, consider writing a short Letter to the Editor supporting appropriate management of the area to support nesting shorebirds and sea turtles.

 

Here is a link to the article….

 

http://luminanews.com/2014/06/bird-nesting-disrupted-as-negotiations-continue/

We have more chicks!!

Lindsay did a nest check last night and saw our first newly hatched Common Tern….isn’t it adorable!!

Here is an adult Common Tern (perhaps the proud parent).

NESTING ACTIVITY
The Black Skimmers have over 40 nests now, and are scraping and laying more eggs and incubating. They are nesting both in the front dunes, the west, the highway, and the side dunes, so if you are on the ocean front, you will be able to see skimmers there too.   We should begin seeing some chicks in the next 2 weeks.

We now have 12 Common Tern nests.

We have a new Least Tern nest…we wish this little pair the best of luck!  It is very difficult for a lone nest but they keep trying!

The first oystercatcher pair has one remaining chick which can be seen sound side being fed regularly by the parents.  The second pair seems to have lost their remaining chick.  The other two pairs are still in the dunes and incubating their eggs.

This Sandwich Tern (notice the yellow tipped bill) stopped by for a visit this morning. 

When You See a Skimmer

If you click on the link above you will find an insightful article on seeing skimmers on the beach. It was written by UNCW Professor David Gessner whose words far exceed my ability to describe these beautiful birds. 

In his words ....
"Skimmers are not the only miraculous animals after all, and human beings excel, beyond all else, at becoming absorbed in their own self stories. But if you actually turn away from those stories and look at these birds for a moment, really look, you’ll need to pause and briefly rearrange the way you think about the world. 

Here’s what you’ll see:

A line of birds flying along the shore, the size of small gulls but unmistakably not gulls. Maybe they’re terns, you think for a second, but like no terns you’ve ever seen. An electric red-orange shines from the bills before abruptly turning black halfway toward the tip. It’s a candy-corn color, a color from the pages of a comic book, certainly not something you’d expect to find on real birds. But they are real, and the only birds that have a lower mandible longer than the upper, the better for scooping. They patrol the shore, jaws dropped (like yours maybe), grazing the water and hoping for accidental contact with a fish. At the merest touch, a built-in tactile trigger in their jaw sends a signal to their upper bill, the maxilla, which instantaneously snaps shut."

Friday Bird Walks and a Few Words from John James Audubon

Our Friday morning bird walks have begun! Plan on joining us. And then come back again because there is always something new to share.

The dredging continues but the birds have not been stopped.

In fact Green Herons have been observed even before you reach the beach. Look for nests in the hedges along the parking strip between public access 43 and 44.

And once you reach the beach there is much to be seen!

Black Skimmers

In the words of John James Audubon...

 "The flight of the Black Skimmer is perhaps more elegant than that of any water bird with which I am acquainted.... But, to observe the aerial movements of the Skimmer to the best advantage, you must visit its haunts in the love season."

And, folks, love is in the air!

And for those Skimmers who have already found a partner the waiting game has begun as they rest and guard their nests.

Common Tern

Our common terns are sitting on their eggs just out of our view. But any disturbance on the beach (person, dog, ghost crab, crow,etc.) causes them to react.

"...for they have seen you, and by now they all fly up screaming. Although unable to drive you away, they seem most anxiously to urge your departure by every entreaty they  they can devise; just as you would do, were your family endangered ..... Humanity fills your heart, you feel for them as a parent feels..." (John James Audubon)

While we wait for the common tern chicks to appear it is fun watching them at the shoreline cleaning their feathers. Every day the terns adjust them, stretching and pulling at those that have become worn out.

American Oystercatcher 

But as we wait for the Black Skimmer and Common Tern eggs to hatch the American Oystercatchers continue to entertain us by bringing their chicks out to explore the beach.

Unfortunately sometimes the chicks need to avoid leftovers from a beach picnic :(

When you're at the beach the American Oystercatcher is easy to recognize. 

In the words of John James Audubon ...

"bill vermillion, fading to yellow on the worn parts toward the end....

 Edges of eyelids vermilion; iris yellow."

And to end this week's posting here is a photo of a brand new least tern chick taken last year. Just a hint of what's ahead for all of us visiting the nesting area!

Photo by Marlene Eader

"While traveling, their light but firm flight is wonderfully sustained, 

and on hearing and seeing them on such occasions one is tempted 

to believe them to be the happiest of the happy."

--John James Audubon on the Least Tern

Photo by USFWS; Steve Hillebrand

Oystercatcher Chicks Make Their Maiden Voyage to the Shoreline

It started out as a "work morning" as several stewards added signs to the postings in anticipation of a very busy holiday weekend.

While posting on the ocean side of the inlet we watched skimmers sitting on their nests.

And then when we arrived at the other side of the posting we saw 

our oystercatcher family heading for the shoreline with their new chicks.

Although there are endless perfect captions to write for these priceless 

first family portraits we'll let your imaginations make these pictures come alive. 

Somehow we just know they are "talking" to each other.

It was added joy to see the chicks get their first "taste" of the water.

Since the temperature was in the high 80s the chicks took refuge 

under their parent for awhile before heading back to the dunes.

AND THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. 

There are many more moments of discovery ahead for stewards and visitors to the beach 

as more birds nest and raise their chicks on Masonboro Inlet. 

Time to get out there and see it all ....

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL.

Local Bird Steward Makes the News

Katherine Makes the News!

Click on the link above to read an article featured in the Star News! 

Nesting Activity as of May 21

The Black Skimmers have over 40 nests now and are scraping and laying more eggs every day.

We now have 11 Common Tern nests, all incubating.

Sadly, all five Least Tern nests failed within two days of being laid. This was mostly due to Ruddy Turnstone predation, likely enabled by disturbance. One nest, though, was crushed by a beachgoer who entered the posting.

The second oystercatcher pair’s eggs are beginning to hatch. One was started on Wednesday, meaning tiny fractures are appearing in the shell where the chick is beginning to break through. The hatching process can take a few days, so they will probably hatch Friday or Saturday. The other two pairs are still incubating.

We Have Chicks!

May 19 Update

Least Terns

Least Terns attempted to nest at the south end, but failed. Steward Jim Tyckoski observed nesting behavior on May 8, and three nests were found on May 9th and two more were found on May 10th, but by May 12 all had failed. Ruddy Turnstone predation was likely to blame, and this type of nest loss can be triggered by human disturbance. When the birds are flushed off their nests, predators like crows and turnstones move in. They peck a hole in the egg and eat the yolk. Both beachgoers and dredge workers flushed the Least Terns. It's also difficult for small groups of Least Terns to be successful. Larger colonies are more cohesive and better able to protect themselves from predators and other threats.

Common Terns

We currently have 8 Common Tern nests in the colony. You can view two of them soundside on the small dune just inside the posting near where the construction netting is.  (I will make a map Monday and send it along.)  The Common Terns began nesting on May 12. We mark all Common Tern nests and track them to hatching or failure.

Black Skimmers

Black Skimmers began laying eggs on May 14. As of Friday we had 9 nests, and more surely were laid over the weekend. We mark a subset of skimmer nests (there are too many to follow them all) and use hatching success of those nests to get an idea of how the entire colony did as a whole.

American Oystercatchers

The fourth pair finally laid its eggs! We now have four active nests. The first nest, the one visible from the sound side stewarding spot, is due to hatch any day now. The second nest, which is at the southernmost point in the "construction zone" is not far behind. Keep an eye on the first nest for signs of hatching--you might see an adult carry an eggshell away from the nest or see more standing rather than sitting. (FYI a chick was seen today, May 21!)

Willets

Mom and pop willet were showing off their four new chicks by the shoreline today.

Our very brave Lindsay Addison (Coastal Biologist for Audubon NC) is recording data for our next update!

Can't wait to see you at the beach. 

New things happening every day.