Oyster Catcher Nesting

[Joe Senzatimore]

These birds nest on the beach in our area and some , as this one, choose to nest in the shell beds under the light poles in the parking lots. Most of these parking lot nests fail as the chicks usualy get run over as they leave the nests. I plan to monitor the nests this spring and talk to a local rescue group to see if we can relocate the parents and chicks when they hatch. Not sure if it can be done , but worth a try , I guess. Maybe they will catch the chicks and raise them by hand , then release them. They have had success raising abandoned chicks in the past.

200ISO f5.6 at 1/180th

[Daniel Cadieux]

I like the low angle, and the vegetation in BG and LLC (not so much the branch extenting in front of he OC though). Thanks for the explanation of their nesting habits in this area, and good luck with your nest monitoring project. Maybe some sort of awareness signage campaign would also help?

[Joe Brown]

Great shot with very nice light. Maybe a tad too tight for my taste. I applaud your efforts to protect this very distinctive bird. Good luck with this.

Joe

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Thanks for the image and the story. Oystercatchers sometimes really pick not the best places. I'm wondering if the light makes them feel more secure. In Connecticut they build cages on top of piping plover nests, maybe OCs are too big for that but I hope something can be done.