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Baby American Oystercatchers

Posted Sunday, July 9, 2023Tuesday, July 4, 2023 Jess Yarnell1 CommentPosted in Fort De Soto

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!

Birdcam Recap from Spring 2023

Posted Wednesday, July 5, 2023Tuesday, July 4, 2023 Jess Yarnell4 CommentsPosted in Birds

It’s gotten hot out! The sweltering heat and the waning activity at my backyard birdcam inspired me to review my video archives from the spring. From bathing buntings to squabbling finches to courting cardinals to baby Brown Thrashers, my camera has caught it all! Enjoy! :)

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I’ve had this still image from the birdcam in my “to post” folder for a couple of years now. I’m finally going to do it! Here’s a shot of what a birdcam captures after hours when nobody else is looking!

Five-Plover Morning at Fort De Soto

Posted Tuesday, June 6, 2023Monday, June 5, 2023 Jess YarnellPosted in Fort De Soto

There aren’t many places in Florida where you see see five types of plovers in one morning. Fort De Soto is one of those places, if you go at the right time of year. In the spring, the Wilson’s Plovers and Snowy Plovers are getting busy building their nests, and the Piping, Semipalmated, and Black-bellied Plovers are getting ready to migrate north. Early in May, you can find all five in their breeding colors.

The Semipalmated Plover winters in Florida. He’s one of the easiest to find in the winter month. As he comes into his breeding colors, he develops dark black markings around his face and neck, which make it easy to confuse him with the Piping Plover.

Piping Plovers winter in Florida too. They are lighter and “cuter” than Semipalms. That may sound like a funny description, but when you see them together on the beach, it makes sense. Piping Plovers have typically migrated to their northern plains breeding areas by early May, but you can usually find a few stragglers. This little guy worried me when I saw that he was missing a foot. It didn’t seem to bother him. He foraged happily, pulled out plenty of worms from the sand, and flew away when a beachgoer with a dog came too close.

The Snowy Plovers are my favorites at Fort De Soto. They are as white as the sand, and they blend in so well that you can walk past a nest and not even notice. Here the plover was resting on a mudflat after a big breakfast. Their population in Florida is critically low, so I hope they are successful in nesting this year.

Only in the spring in Florida do you understand why this bird is called a Black-bellied Plover. He winters in Florida, and during most of the winter, his feathers are a pale gray. He molts into his breeding plumage just before flying off to Alaska and Northern Canada to nest. Here I caught one almost in full breeding plumage. So spiffy!

The Wilson’s Plover breeds in Florida. Sometimes he’ll have babies before his wintering counterparts have departed for their summer homes. I used to love to watch the babies run around at my favorite Least Tern colony.

So that’s the five plovers, but here’s a bonus bird – a Red Knot in breeding colors! He also passes by Fort De Soto on his epic migration from Argentina to northern Canada. Red Knot population has declined significantly due to habitat loss. So it’s a privilege to get to hang out with these beauties.