Least Tern

The Least Tern colony has increased to around 150 + birds, pretty impressive. Most of the birds are on nests at this point, but some courtship is still occurring.

                                                                       Courtship

                                                    American Oystercatcher chicks

After the storm

The 3 days of rain were catastrophic for our Plover chicks, loosing about 12 or more chicks. In addition to this 4 nests washed out, a real bummer for the birds and contentious relations with the public. This will push some fledge dates about 70 days. Not matter how much work you do, sometimes mother nature has her own agenda.

This is one of the little chicks I photographed only a day before the rain storm, gone 2 days later. This is his / her memory of existence. 

In other less sad news, a few bright birds were poking around the Reserve today. A male Purple Finch and a Baltimore Oriole .