The Adventures of Yellow 25! 7/16/2023

A beautiful female American Oystercatcher, fondly called Yellow 25, has successfully raised chicks yet again on a pristine beach in eastern Massachusetts. I first learned of Yellow 25's journey when I submitted her prominent band number to the American Oystercatcher Working Group's website. They quickly got back to me along with a link that tracked this particular Oystercatcher and all of her sightings since she was first banded. Yes, she is a she! Yellow 25 was first banded in July of 2004 as a young chick at the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge in Chatham, Massachusetts as part of an effort by the American Oystercatcher Working Group and the Manomet American Oystercatcher Recovery Project, the latter of which is based out of Plymouth, MA. That makes Yellow 25 almost 20 years old which is amazing as any of my research has the record as a little over 23. Yellow 25 first started visiting eastern MA beaches in 2008, and this particular beach has been her destination each spring as she meets her mate. American Oystercatchers are monogamous, and 25 has likely outlived a few of her mates by this time. This beautiful bird has been described as one of the most proliferative breeders as she hatched, raised, and defended 2-3 chicks almost each year since 2007. The average is much much less and even the current goal for the Manomet American Oystercatcher Recovery Project is 0.5 chicks per pair. Yellow 25 has so many entries in the American Oystercatcher Working Group database as people have reported her band number over the last 19 years. She has been traveling back and forth from eastern MA to the Cedar Keys area in FL which is over 2000 miles. I am sure she has many stories to tell! Cedar Keys is an extremely important wintering area for American Oystercatchers and the reporting of band numbers through the eBird and the American Oystercatcher conservation sites has helped to pinpoint this area as a an important migratory and wintering area. Yellow 25 and her mate have been arriving and nesting on the eastern MA shore for over ten years and there has been ever-increasing pressure from weather, beachgoers, and well meaning photographers at this beach site which is always a challenge as it introduces a precarious balance. People need to know about these birds and be educated which means sharing their predicament but also preserving their privacy so they thrive. I was thrilled to see that rock fences had been placed to fortify the areas around Yellow 25, her two chicks, and the other Oystercatchers so that people did not wander too close. It takes a village...