In mid-May, I went to Fort De Soto to check on the American Oystercatcher nest. I had never seen baby oystercatchers before. I took my long lens and teleconverters so that I could lie in the sand and not bother the birds. When I got there, I spotted an adult oystercatcher splashing in the wading pool. He flew off a minute later and landed next to…tiny fuzzballs!

The proud parents are mom AE, who was banded in Georgia, and dad “Archie.” They were very attentive to their little ones. So the babies got to hang out and learn about the beach without worrying about the laughing gulls and other nearby predators.

According to the other photographers, one baby was two days old and the other baby one day old. Everybody was mesmerized by the tiny balls of fluff. Until a third one showed up! Apparently Mom had stopped incubating the last egg, and nobody thought the baby had hatched, until the newborn joined the party at the wading pools! Mom briefly tried to take him under her wing, and she gave me a magical moment with all three babies together.

Breakfast was the first priority of the morning. It’s hard work finding tiny clams for tiny chicks! Mom and Dad outdid themselves, pulling morsel after morsel from the water.

My favorite moments were when the babies would play together. The newborn wore out pretty quickly and took long naps in the sand. The two older chicks chased each other. It was like a never-ending game of Tag.

Rough-housing with your brother teaches you important survival skills, like how to keep your balance. Or at least how to roll gracefully when you topple over in the sand!

Mom and Dad stuffed those little birds full of breakfast. Then the babies napped in the sand while Mom and Dad hung out nearby.

It was hard to tear myself away, but the paparazzi crowd grew bigger as the morning went on, and it got to be too much (for me and for the birds!) It was such a joy to see the babies though. American Oystercatchers are a threatened species in Florida, in part due to habitat loss. Hopefully other nesting oystercatchers are as successful as this family. These chicks are now banded as YA4, YA5, and YA6. Report them if you see them!