Road's End Middle Rock chicks!

 There's nothing like a successful hatching to make Black Oystercatcher monitors happy. After several unsuccessful seasons, the Middle Rock BLOY finally have chicks. And I have a million photos of them.

Here is the BLOY family hang-out on Middle Rock on 8/16/22. The little black dots are BLOY (to be seen closer in the following photos.)

 

 At the top of the photo below is the "fortress", behind which the BLOY apparently nested. Two chicks are resting to the right of the fortress. One adult is in the lower center.

 

 

 All 4 birds are in the following photo, one chick at upper left, one in center. The adults are left bottom and right middle.

 

chick close-up (sort of)

2 resting chicks with opened shells behind... well fed chicks!

adult scratching head showing long red bill, red eye and pink legs. Fortress left with chick left of adult and other chick above and behind adult, showing short bi-colored bill and lighter legs

 

the whole family

South Rock at Road's End 2022

 The South Rock pair at Road's End started nesting in May 2022 but apparently that nest failed. They disappeared for some time then reappeared. My co-monitor Casey saw them on their rock on 8/4. I saw them on 8/11 and witnessed 2 apparent incubation exchanges. The first appearance was on the east ridge of the Rock, rather than their usual west ridge lookout point.

The next appearance was on the usual west ridge. The middle photo above shows the area below in its lower right corner.

The third appearance was also on the usual west ridge. Perhaps they are nesting between the two ridges this year instead of over the west side as they often do. One can hope as that would give a better chance of seeing chicks if they manage to hatch eggs and produce chicks.

Illegal Activity at Cape Kiwanda

 Help! Someone! Could y'all watch for this kayak? On June 1st, a kayaker climbed on the big rock off Cape Kiawanda that is off limits because of seabird nesting (including Puffins). The week before I had watched a pair of BLOY on the very area this guy was climbing on. I am told that his license number is needed before he could be prosecuted. So if anyone sees this canoe on a rig or being loaded to or from a rig, please try to get a license number and let me and especially the FWS know. Their number to report to is Oregoncoast@fws.gov. Thank you!!

the dark area at the right of this photo is the area where the BLOY are likely nesting. The sloping ledge in front of that recess is where the kayaker walked and where I saw a BLOY the week before.