Middle Rock 2023 Success!

The Middle Rock pair succeeded in fledging a chick on their first nesting attempt in 2023... a first for this nest area since I began monitoring here in 2005. This pair claimed this Rock in 2018 and has nested in the same general area every year since. In 2017 one bird hung out on Middle Rock but did not have a partner.  From 2010 to 2016 a pair produced eggs and/or chicks but never managed to fledge any that I could tell. Here is the history: https://bloymonitor.blogspot.com/2020/03/nest-summaries-updated-annually.html

Even when the pairs have managed to get eggs to hatching, their first nest always failed at some stage and they had to try again. So it was very exciting to have one of the three eggs laid survive to produce a chick that lived long enough to fledge. Unfortunately, they moved their chick, soon after hatching, to the back side of Middle Rock where we could only guess what was happening from the parents' behavior. Finally, at about 6 weeks from hatching, I saw a fledgling with parents on a foraging rock near the nest rock. However it flew as soon as I spotted it and kept me in suspense until I relocated it on the big rock just north of Middle Rock. That is likely where it fledged to when it first flew from the back of Middle Rock.

Here's the story in photos:  beginning on May 22...

Middle Rock horizontal crevice that has the nest

BLOY incubating center of photo (base of red bill showing)

2 adults and 1 egg

 

My co-monitor, Casey, saw 2 eggs on May 25.

On June 9, I saw 1 chick, and watched one of the adults fend off a gull attack
 

June 9, 1 chick

 

On June 14, co-monitor Casey saw 1 chick

Then the parents moved their chick to the back side of Middle Rock, apparently. Parents foraged on nearby rocks, periodically disappearing behind Middle Rock with lots of talking sounds back there. 

On July 13, 5 kayakers invaded the area.

The parents kept quiet and still on the west most foraging rock, south of the nest Middle Rock

Middle Rock, where the chick was apparently on the back side of, is the bulge at the right of the photo. Only a small portion of it is visible. The flat foraging rock in the center top of the photo is where the 2 adults were.

 

Here is the foraging rock that the adults were on when 3 of the 5 kayaks were very close to that rock.

On July 17, I saw 3 BLOY on a foraging rock north of the nest rock. Lots of talking. It took me a long time to find where the talking was coming from and when I did, one bird flew to the rock behind the nest rock. A few minutes later, I saw it foraging on that rock and it appears in the photo to be a fledgling. The two remaining on the northern rock were adults. The distances are so great that without a scope or my long lens camera, I would never be able to tell adults from fledgling.

Here are the two adults on the north rock.

 

And here is the fledgling on what I call Back Rock, just north of the nest rock.

 Many thanks to my co-monitor Casey who made many more trips than I did up that long steep trail to our Observation Post at the top of God's Thumb. Alas, Casey had only binoculars so could only report what he was able to see through those. He did get a better view of the chick than I did (on June 14) before it disappeared to the back side of the nest rock.

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.

 

 

 

 

Road's End from The Thumb

Today, May 5, Johnny and I hiked up The Thumb from the approved trailhead at the end of NE Devil's Lake Blvd. It is a long, steep route and very popular. We were early enough to avoid many people going up and were the first ones to reach the top. However by the time we left there were many coming up and going down. My goal was to find out if the Middle Rock pair were nesting, to see if there was any sign of BLOY activity on South or North Rocks, and to see if the trail was doable for me. It was, once. I would not want to climb it on a weekly basis to check nesting! However, today we were successful. The Middle Rock BLOY nest is where it has been in the past, directly down from the highest point of the rock, just below the horizontal cleft in the rock. 

Update: This nest was lost and another begun, also with 3 eggs. I monitored mostly from the cove below but on June 24 climbed up the trail again and saw the new nest with 3 eggs. When I no longer saw BLOY from the cove, I climbed again on July 14 and BLOY and eggs were gone.

2021 Road's End Revisited

 A minus tide (-1.4) at 8:30 a.m. had me doing barn chores very early so I could get to Road's End. (It's a 45 minute drive from our farm.) I entered the cove at 7:50 a.m, after scrambling over boulders below the cliff... not much of an improvement over last week's boulder scramble higher up. Only a few people were in the cove when I arrived but by the time I left there were many... a decided down side to a minus tide.

South Rock left, Boot Rock in center, part of Middle Rock on right behind cliff

Middle Rock

BLOY guard post on Middle Rock

BLOY visible on Middle Rock guard post

At 8:07 it called and flew south and appeared at 8:12 on a foraging rock at the South foot of Boot Rock (the rock north of South Rock).

  However a Canada Goose flew over calling from the north and landed on top of South Rock. The BLOY called and flew back up to its Middle Rock guard post.

 

South Rock left with goose , Boot Rock Center, Middle Rock partly visible right

Goose on South Rock (The rock in front is an adjunct of South Rock that is surrounded by water except at low tides. South Rock usually has a stream of water separating it from the beach, but not always.)

 The guard BLOY was preening as I left shortly before 9. Lots of people in the cove then. The goose had settled down to stay when I left. If the South BLOY were anywhere around, I think they would have kept hidden while the goose was present. But I did not see them before the goose arrived either.

 

It was frustrating not to see a nest exchange on Middle Rock. I could not see any more at this minus tide than I did at last week's low tide, so I think the best thing to do is go in at a low tide and stay as long as possible. Fewer people there then, too, although the one visible BLOY seemed not concerned about little people on the beach far below.

I considered hiking in on the trail past The Knoll but I see they have moved the parking area another almost half a mile farther. So I am very grateful to Halle for monitoring from The Thumb!