Tag Archives: wrightsville beach birdwatching

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Common Terns on Wrightsville Beach NC

Tensions are running high at the Common Tern nesting grounds on Wrightsville Beach NC. With breeding season well underway, competition for mates and nest sites is causing tempers to flare within the colony resulting in yelling (screeching lol!) matches between former friends.
It was very entertaining to sit on the beach and watch these otherwise elegant birds scuffle for dominance.
They swooped and screamed from above at the terns below who vigorously defended their chosen spit of sand.
Those who weren’t involved with nesting site disputes spent their time catching small fish and bringing food back to shore to feed their mates who were waiting patiently for a meal.



Though their name would imply otherwise, unfortunately nesting populations of Common Terns are in decline here in NC. This is likely due to a loss of suitable nesting habitats due to storms and development of the barrier islands where they prefer to raise their chicks.
Luckily this species breeds in both Eurasia and in North America (even inland!) so for now they aren’t considered threatened on a level to trigger a Federal level endangerment status.
Still, this is a species to keep an eye on as they are considered endangered on the State level of concern.



Common Terns are a spring & summertime resident of North Carolina and can be found along our coastline between April and September.
They are mainly spotted hunting for a meal over the Atlantic Ocean and over our saltwater inlets. As you probably have guessed, their main diet consists of fish however they’ll also eat crustaceans and insects.
From the looks of it, they’re are prolific hunters and they seemed to have access to a good supply of fish here at Wrightsville Beach.
This means good times may be ahead for the next generation of Common Terns which should arrive next month.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding both captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Black Skimmer nesting site on Wrightsville Beach N.C.

Check out this set of photos from the nesting colony of Black Skimmers on Wrightsville Beach!


I captured these moments last month just after sunrise before the beach got crowded.
There were several pairs of Skimmers there taking care of their chicks and plenty of space to observe these beauties from a respectful distance.
With all the challenges faced by nesting seabirds, it’s such a joy to see new life thriving on the coast of North Carolina.

Black Skimmers typically nest as a large colony on the sand flats in between the dunes on our barrier islands.
One to five eggs are laid into a depression in the sand and are incubated by both parents for around 23 days.
The chicks break out of their eggs already covered in downy feathers and can even run around within a few hours of hatching.



During the first few days, one parent will stay with the chick but shortly thereafter the little one will be left alone on the beach while both parents go off to catch its next meal.
Despite their mobility, the little ones rely solely on their parents for food and usually scurry off to hide under some beach grass to await their parents return.
Aren’t they sweet?
🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Spending time with Black Skimmers on Wrightsville Beach N.C.

Last month, I had the opportunity to visit a nesting colony of Black Skimmers on Wrightsville Beach NC.
It was so cool to be able to spend time with these interesting birds as they went about their business of raising their families on the beach.
I really like the look of the Skimmers.
With that bold black and white plumage, they are quite a handsome species indeed.



Nicknamed the ‘Toucan of the sea, the most striking feature of the Black Skimmer is it’s red-and-black bill.
As you can see here, they’ve got a lower mandible that juts out farther than does the upper.
When feeding, the Skimmer flies low over water with its beak open and lower mandible partially submerged.
When the lower part of the bill touches prey, such as a small fish, the bill’s upper mandible snaps down like a mousetrap, securing the bird’s meal.



Although you can find them soaring above the shorelines of most of our coastal beaches, Black Skimmers are most often spotted inland feeding in our inlets, estuaries and other slow moving bodies of water near the Atlantic.
Happily, Black Skimmers are a year round resident of North Carolina but they do appear to migrate locally to the southern coast of the Tarheel state during the cooler winter months.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds