Wildlife notes

Glaucous-winged gulls and their hybrids

While some gull parents have chicks starting to hatch, others are still laying their eggs.  I think these are the extremes and most chicks will be hatching in another week.  I fear for those chicks who will hatch 26 to 29 days from now. I would prefer to hatch early and grow enough before other chicks and their protective (murderous) parents abound. There is just as much variation in egg laying time as there is in nest shape, materials used, base locations and exposure.  The newely hatched chick is in a nest built up and off the ground with mostly mud and sealion hair.  The photo of the egg laid today is in a nest spun entirely out of grass.

A newly hatched gull chick in a nest at the top of East Beach.

Black oystercatchers

I am sad to announce the Energy Building black oystercatchers only egg was taken yesterday.  The parents have left the area.  Good news is both the East Beach eggs hatched today.  They are very close to the gull nest with the hatched chick shown above so I hope the East Beach parents get their chicks moved before the gull chicks start to wander.

East Beach parents two newly hatched black oystercatcher chicks ordered to lay motionless by their parents.

A total of seven oystercatcher chicks have now been visually confirmed from a total of seven paired couples.  The Helipad chick was not observed but assumed to have hatched by the parents behaviour.  The Energy Building pair lost their egg and the West Jetty pair did not lay any. The updated oystercatcher map is below.

Facility work

• cleaned the solar panels
• weeding

Vessels

Two people on jet skis blew through the reserve today. Almost as crazy as the person dragging his children around on a inflatable toy.

• Ecotourism: 14
• Private: 3
• Two jet skis

Weather

Partly cloudy. Westerlies 2 to 21 knots. Daytime temperatures 11 to 14 degrees.