Sweet Springs Preserve - 9:00 to 10:00 - Heavy moist overcast. Some people might consider a grey morning rather unpleasant and dull. For me it was an ideal morning to bird Sweet Springs. The bay was serene in its stillness.
Shorebirds were racing back and forth across the narrow strip of muddy sand. Semipalmated Plover were numerous. These tiny migrant Plovers may have just arrived from their breeding grounds in Alaska.
There were a few Least Sandpiper. They really are tiny. Two Greater Yellowleg were focused on probing the sand, while two handsome Black-bellied Plover, in fading breeding plumage, were strolling sedately along the edge of the bay. I must not forget the Willet, the Marbled Godwit, and dear, faithful Black Phoebe. A Green Heron flying into the pond area was the highlight of the morning.
Oystercatcher Monitoring Update
July 29, 2020 - Last photo of the family. Chicks were nearly a month old.
The last few days of monitoring - July 3 -Parents on duty, one chick visible. I briefly saw the entire chick moments before taking the photo.
July 7 - Parents on duty, chicks absent. They could not fly and they could not have wandered far as their rock formation was separate from the other formations. July 10 - Parents on duty, chicks absent. One parent flew off, returning with a food morsel clutched in her bill. She walked down the rock face disappearing into the cracks, sadly emerging with the morsel still clutched in her bill. I knew in my heart she was searching for her chicks.
What had taken the Oystercatcher chicks? Was it a raptor? Was it the sea? In my estimation, the unforgiving sea had taken the chicks. Between July 1 and July 6, extremely high tides, combined with a powerful storm surge, had swept them off the rocks.
I have not given up hope. During the winter months Oystercatchers are often seen feeding along the edge of the surf in Corallina Cove, and I will be there looking for a juvenile with its two-toned bill.
Nice work
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