Wrightsville Beach Bird Stewards

Friday, July 22, 2022

As the Summer Heats Up the Colony Continues To Grow

photo by Kathy Hannah

We are so excited to share fantastic news of the banding of 65 Black Skimmer chicks this month! We have banded a total of 83 Black Skimmer chicks this nesting season on the South End. Lindsay Addison, Audubon NC’s Coastal Biologist, invited an experienced group from UNCW, Airlie Gardens and her Coastal Team to capture and band chicks.

photo by Martin West

The chicks we band are approximately 3 weeks old…old enough that they are growing their feathers and not downy, can tolerate being held by a human and not flying yet. We were so happy to have so many skilled helpers to weigh and measure each chick’s total head measurement including its bill and wing chord. Only experienced individuals may go into the colony with Lindsay (Audubon NC’s Coastal Biologist) to find the chicks as they hide very well in all the vegetation. It was especially important because more nests (with eggs) and newly hatching chicks were seen in the colony.

Biologists learn so much from banding and re-sighting of the Black Skimmers. For example, we have confirmed this year that the chicks that hatch on the south end of Wrightsville Beach return to the south end of Wrightsville Beach as adults and nest! Bands give us PROOF!

Black Skimmers Show That Protecting One Beach Is Not Enough

Black Skimmer and Common Tern chicks have been hatching throughout the colony this past week and chicks are running around. We have a nice variety of chicks including older chicks that have developed their flight feathers and are beginning to fly. It is very entertaining to watch Black Skimmer parents “coaching” (encouraging) their chicks to fly using a fish for incentive! Watch the shoreline for both parents flying with their chick who is just taking off.

photo by Martin West

Parent Black Skimmers are also escorting their chicks to the water and the reaction of the chicks to that first feeling of water is priceless…. get your binoculars out and watch them up close.

photo by Kathy Hannah

Watch for parent birds returning to the colony with fish and they will lead you right to their sweet chicks. Feeding chicks is energy intensive for the parent birds.

photo by Tom Hanna

Common Terns have a unique behavior to spread out their chicks when feeding by making the chicks chase the parent coming in with fish so the biggest chick is not always the one to get the fish. I am so impressed with the Common Tern…they seem to know how to raise 2-3 chicks to fledge!

photo by Kathy Hannah

A few Black Skimmer and Common Tern chicks hatched this past week on the inlet side of the posting. Thank you to all of our beach guests who help reduce disturbance in the colony. This continues to be important because of the added heat stress during these hot summer days.

There is a nice variety of chicks in the colony right now. Older chicks have developed their flight feathers and are beginning to fly and learning to skim.

Skimmer Chicks

(photos by Kathy Hannah)

Least Tern Chick

photo by Kathy Hannah

Common Tern Chick

photo by Kathy Hannah

Looking forward to seeing you at the beach!

Monday, July 4, 2022

Willet Chicks Make An Appearance to Celebrate the 4th of July

The weather prediction was for a rainy, cloudy 4th of July but the appearance of our first Willet chicks of the season certainly brightened the day!

Look at those feet!

And the Least Terns, Common Terns, Black Skimmers, and American Oystercatchers seem content to share the beach with the Willets

Least Tern chick

Common Tern chick

American Oystercatchers

Black Skimmers

The entertainment is everywhere you look!

Black Skimmer and a large Marsh Hare share the beach.

At first glance it appears this Common Tern had a marshmallow in
its mouth in preparation for a 4th of July picnic. At second glance it seems to be a shell.

(All photos and videos in today's blog post from Kathy Hannah.)

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Chicks Are Busy Feasting and Fledglings Are Testing Their Wings

Photo by Martin West

The Black Skimmers and Common Terns are still incubating eggs and chicks are hatching throughout the colony. Many of the fledglings are starting to test their newly developed wings and are learning to fly. It is a full time job for the parents to keep their chicks fed and to protect them from the heat and predators. Sometimes it's difficult to believe the chicks can swallow the large fish their parents bring to them.

Several of our beach visitors and Wrightsville Beach Bird Stewards have captured these moments in some amazing photographs.

Photos by Martin West

photos by Patricia Ihnat

photos by Camille Daniels

REMINDER...

Free Bird Walks with Wrightsville Beach Bird Stewards

South end of Wrightsville Beach
9 a.m. every Monday this Summer
Meet at the gazebo at Beach Access 43

Join Wrightsville Beach Bird Stewards for a FREE bird walk at Audubon’s sanctuary at the south end of Wrightsville Beach.

Every Monday, free tours begin at 9 a.m. at the wooden gazebo. You’ll get a guided tour from a knowledgeable volunteer and up-close looks at our resident nesting birds, including Least Terns and Black Skimmers. If you come soon, you may catch a glimpse of baby birds learning to fly.

You’ll also learn how you can help protect these beach-nesting birds by keeping your distance and using the beach with birds in mind.

We hope to see you there!

Friday, June 10, 2022

The Colony Evolves

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.

photo by Tom Hanna

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.

photo by Tom Hanna

photo by Kathy Hannah

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.

photo by Tom Hanna

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.

photo by Tom Hanna

These photographs (taken on Thursday afternoon, 6/2) are from the last time we saw the AMOY chick.

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.

photo by Tom Hanna

photo by Martin West