Another New Season of Shore Bird Adventures Begins

The posting to protect the nesting shorebirds at the south end of Wrightsville Beach went up on April 3rd.

We have had over 200 Black Skimmers, 7 American Oystercatchers, 25 Least Terns, 6 Common Terns and 3 Willets checking out our beach looking for suitable nesting areas.

American Oystercatcher

Black Skimmers

photo by Jin Bian

Common Terns

We have been observing courtship behaviors as the birds do their “fish presentation” 

Least Terns

Our Audubon biologists conducted a nest check on Friday, April 19^th and discovered that we have lots of courtship activity happening in the posted area.  They found several Oystercatcher scrapes (these “scrapes” become “nests” after an egg is laid). Least Terns have been seen creating scrapes as well.

                                             (Click twice to view video.) 

They also discovered the first “nest” in the posting – a Willet nest with 2 eggs!!!  We expect 1 or 2 more eggs in that particular nest. 

Willets

photo by Maxine Miller

FIRST BIRD WALK FOR THE 2019 SEASON... Monday, May 6 at 9 AM

Our first official Audubon Bird Walk for the Town of Wrightsville Beach is scheduled for Monday, May 6 at 9 AM.  We always meet at the gazebo at beach access 43.  Invite your family and friends! 

And then there were TWO!

On Monday, 8/20 around 3:30 PM one of the Wrightsville Beach Bird Stewards (WBBS) reported that she saw 2 big gray Black Skimmer chicks and 11 adult Black Skimmers!!!  One had just flown in and went behind the dunes with additional adults.  What a surprise!

Seven adult Black Skimmers, an Oystercatcher (CT4) and the second chick roosted in the posting for over 3 hours and then easily flew across the inlet. Here are two pictures of the second chick as seen through a scope.

 The Black Skimmer pair with our other chick (the one we banded #47) continued to roost by the point at the inlet while the other chick and Black Skimmers were in the posting. The new “field readable” #47 band was wonderful in allowing us to know exactly what bird we were looking at!  We are so thankful that we were able to capture and band our south end chick (banded #47), and we watched #47 easily move when beach goers approached and fly over the water and mimic skimming behavior.  Both of the Black Skimmer chicks continued the resting posture of lying flat on the ground and appear to disappear in the sand. 

Black Skimmer chick bathing in the surf
photo by Shelia White

BS chick dancing on the beach
photo by Shelia White

BS chick "skimming" in the surf
photo by Shelia White

BS chick playing in the surf
photo by Shelia White

We continue to see flocks of birds roosting on the south end either by the water or in the posting.  Sunday afternoon (8/19)  the WBBS saw a large flock of Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, Least Terns and Common Terns.  We also have been seeing increasing numbers of Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnstones, Willets, Oystercatchers…and of course the Great Black Back Gull and Laughing Gulls. 

The birds are moving all the time now and if you happen to arrive when they decided to fly across the inlet and roost on the other side it seems like the nesting season is over but there is still much to see!

Our last bird walk of the season is planned for Monday, 8/27.

Nesting Season Slowing Down

The torrential rains on the south end of Wrightsville Beach have finalized the nesting of the Black Skimmers and the Common Terns that were nesting on the front of the dunes the last week of July.  On the last nest check (7/30) we had 12 active nests on the front dune and on the beach, but the storms and the heavy rainfall in the following days that week washed all the eggs out of the nests. 

THE GOOD NEWS… 

We have one strong and fast growing Black Skimmer chick to enjoy! And flying lessons have already begun for this little one.  

  

Here is our Black Skimmer chick practicing FLIGHT!! Notice it is only about 2 feet above the ground! A milestone.... If you zoom in, you can see its leg bands!

photo by Shelia White

On August 7 the chick was caught and bands were placed on its legs.  You will notice a metal band on its right leg and a black “field readable” band with white numbers…#47 on its left leg.  With this field readable band we have the possibility of easily seeing this chick when it returns to Wrightsville Beach in future years and knowing it was our 2018 special chick!!!  

We continue to see large groups of our Black Skimmers on the beach and in the inlet! There were 191 Black Skimmers in the colony the other day.  The birds are moving all the time now and if you happen to arrive when they decided to fly across the inlet and roost on the other side it seems like the season is over but it is not.  Large numbers are on the move because they do not have chicks to care for in the posted area.

Black Skimmers and Common Terns will randomly fly over the posted area and some Least Terns  and Royal Terns can occasionally be seen.

Black Skimmer Chicks

We have  Black Skimmer chicks that can be seen from outside the posting!  

Look carefully in the top picture and find the Black Skimmer chick camouflaged inside the posting.

photos by Jeff Hall

photos by Jeff Hall

While our NC Audubon biologist Lindsay Addison was on the beach last week she noticed that four Black Skimmers cooling by the water had metal leg bands.  She was able to use her scope to read the silver engraved numbers, recorded the numbers and looked up the specific band numbers on the national bird band database.  GOOD NEWS: The Skimmers were banded as chicks at our south end nesting colony on Wrightsville Beach in 2013, 2014 and 2015!!!  They are our birds and have returned to our beach to nest!!! 

We currently have approximately 160 nesting pairs = at least 320 Black Skimmers at the South End.

photos by Jeff Hall

Oystercatcher Chick Update

We have not seen the American Oystercatcher chick on the beach or being fed by parents for over 48 hours. The parents have been seen on the beach alone and we are uncertain about what happened to the chick. According to the American Oystercatcher Working Group, most chick mortality takes place in the first two weeks of life and generally just prior to fledging (flying). The most frequent causes of death for chicks in North Carolina include exposure, mammalian and avian predation, ghost crabs and human disturbance.

We are pleased to have been able to share our first chick in three years with many beach goers and we're disappointed in this result. 

But we remain optimistic about this challenging nesting season and look forward to Black Skimmer and Common Tern chicks soon.

One of our WB Bird Stewards, Bonnie-Jeanne Berg, not only expressed what many of us are feeling but took some (now cherished) photos of the chick.

" I referred the chick to my Saturday morning beach-goers as our "Golden Child".... and what a show we had from the family... hope you enjoy .... and I am looking forward to our next babies... the show must go on.... and how thankful we will be!"

look closely to see the chick's legs under the mom
photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg

photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg

photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg

photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg

photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg

photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg

photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg

photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg

photo by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg

American Oystercatcher Chick

photo by Tom Hanna

This little chick is the first American Oystercatcher chick seen on South Wrightsville Beach since 2015!! 

The young chick was able to stand upright and run short distances within hours of hatching. Chicks will escape predators by hiding, particularly in the first 10 days.  A chick responds to parent alarm calls by running for cover, then lying immobile. 

The oystercatcher banded with CKX is the female, the momma of our chick!

Within 1–2 days of hatching, we watched the parent and chick head towards the water.

On the way to the beach!

Chick enjoying the water!
photos by Bonnie-Jeanne Berg

Our chick is fed bivalves, mollusks, crustaceans, worms and other marine invertebrates that inhabit intertidal areas. Chicks are dependent on adults for food for at least 60 days after hatching.

photos by Tom Hanna

And in other news.....

We recently discovered Black Skimmer and Common Tern nests (with eggs) on the beach outside of our posted area. So the postings have been moved and there is a lot of activity to watch on the beach!

Posting being moved so that nests are protected.

Activity within in the newly posted area.

The Wrightsville Beach Black Skimmer colony appears to be the largest in the state of North Carolina this year! Upwards of 200 can regularly be seen at the water's edge or flying overhead.

photos by Tom Hanna

photos by Tom Hanna

and finally.... here is a short video of the new chick for you to enjoy!

American Oystercatcher Chick On the Beach

click on link to view in YouTube

Today's Lesson: Nest Check vs Nest Census

Black Skimmer nest with 2 eggs!!
(photo by Bill Segur)

We have news to brighten your day!  Our NC Audubon biologist, Lindsay Addison, conducted a NEST CENSUS early this morning.

First thing you need to know is the difference between a “nest check” and a “nest census". Lindsay has been doing "nest checks" regularly since the beginning of the season.

NEST CHECK

A nest check is a sampling of nests marked with tongue depressors at the beginning of nesting to enable the biologist to follow up on the activity of that particular nest.  A number is assigned to the nest, such as BS 02 which marks a Black Skimmer nest #2, CT for Common Tern, etc.   These labeled nests are checked on a regular basis to follow laying of eggs, loss of eggs, and anticipation of hatching.  It also enables us to determine eggs that are abandoned (nonviable) and predated by gulls or crows because they were obviously pecked.  Lindsay has been following between 16-30 nest.

Common Tern nest with tongue depressor label to the left

As you know, we have lost many nests to crows and gulls, but the Black Skimmers, Common Terns and American Oystercatchers have kept re-nesting!

NEST CENSUS

         A nest census is conducted when the biologist feels that we are at the peak of nesting…which Lindsay did this morning at 6:30 AM.  Early morning is always the best time to conduct a census as the birds have rested during the night and the temperature is the coolest it will be during daylight.       

          A nest census counts EVERY nest in the colony.

And the number of nests is (drumroll, please) ….

     BLACK SKIMMERS       137

     COMMON TERNS              7

     AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS   2

Lindsay reported that we had not lost any Black Skimmer nests since her last nest check and that the Black Skimmer nests have between 1-2 eggs.  There do not appear to be any nests with 3-4 egg clutches.  Approximately 25 Black Skimmer eggs were abandoned and another 25 or so were predated by gulls or crows.

The 3 Common Tern nests are still there from her last check and we have 4 new nests for a total of 7!!

The American Oystercatchers still have the two nests since her last nest check.

We are so happy to share this good news!  Our Black Skimmer colony appears to be the largest in the State of North Carolina this year.  

We anxiously await the arrival of some chicks!

Enjoy your weekend and we hope to see you on the beach!