Shorebird Chicks are everywhere! 6/25/2023

As I wandered with my camera to the many beaches of Southern MA, I was rewarded with sightings of four different types of shorebird chicks. I made sure to stay distant which was easy with an effective 750 mm lens, and to also stay low and unthreatening. There were quite a few successful Piping Plover chicks at all three of the beaches that I visited which is an amazing success story. Unfortunately, people at Duxbury Beach have become a bit sullen since they have to share their beach with the Plovers and don't like the fact that they can't drive on the sand. Unfortunately, the humans have even gone so far as destroying fencing, signage, and harassing the young people that DCR has hired to protect the Piping Plovers.

There were also many more Least Terns nesting at the Duxbury Beach site, and they were about two weeks behind the Piping Plovers in terms of hatch time. It was also a lot more difficult to photograph them as Tern parents like to dive bomb anyone even remotely close!

At this same beach were also quite a few Willet nesting and one nest had hatched producing four young. I had never seen Willet chicks before, and I now have a new favorite. The parents are amazing and very vocal if they think you are too near!

The last chicks that I saw, and also lifers, were American Oystercatchers. This beach had 3 adult pairs with 5 chicks amongst them. Two of the chicks had already been banded and the others will likely be banded soon when they are a little older. It was a pleasure to watch them thriving as, similar to the Piping Plovers, American Oystercatchers are a success story with the conservation efforts from Manomet and other organizations. This beach has been a successful nesting site for over 10 years!