Monday, July 15, 2019

The Least Tern Nursery

The Least Tern is present here at the Jersey Shore, only during the summer.

Never before have they set up house in this way and made our beach their nursery.
But this year, they did!

What an exciting time for both the town and it's residents.
Much care has gone into making their stay comfortable and safe.

The entire area of the beach has been roped off and signs have been posted.

Small shade boxes have been built to keep the baby chicks cool.

This greenery has been brought in for shade and also for protection,
there are several babies resting inside it!

These little chicks are no bigger than your thumb and easily blend right in with the sand.

The Least Tern is the smallest of the Terns, the size of a Bluejay!


This Tern looked a little bottom heavy!



The "nest" is a small divot in the sand...

we found just one uncovered egg pictured above.

If you look closely, you can see the chick peaking out, just to the left of mom.




- 2 chicks -

- 1 chick -

I will be going back in a few days, to record their progress.
In the far area of the roped off area, there are American Oystercatchers that I would like to see,
they are nesting as well.
It was a further walk and because of the heat, I was not able to go.
Maybe when we go back!

Leanne, if you are reading this you should take all the kids here.
They are in Point Pleasant, go after 5 pm when they stop charging.
I think the kids would love it.
Call or text me and I will give you the exact location!

17 comments:

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Thanks for sharing this, Debbie. This is all very enlightened and it is encouraging to see this kind of respect for wildlife and the measures taken to help the terns have a successful breeding season. I will look forward to hearing more about the Oystercatchers.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, Debbie. The Terns and their chicks are so cute. I love the adorable little ones. I am glad the area is roped off for their protection. I enjoyed your photos. Have a happy day and a great new week!

italiafinlandia said...

Great post! I love Terns, they are incredible flyers.

Sally said...

How wonderful these little beauties are well cared for. They are all precious. :)

xoxo

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

THOSE BABIES ARE STINKIN CUTE!

Changes in the wind said...

Would never think they would make a divot in the sand and call it a nest how would they survive without help? Such cute babies....

Lori said...

Fabulous pictures! Those little baby chicks are adorable. How wonderful that people are helping to keep them safe. So enjoyed your pictures!

Marie Smith said...

How precious! And they are cared for by a community! Just beautiful in every way.

Linda said...

How incredible!! So glad you document your adventures. And thankful you share them with all of us!
Such great photos!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Oh wow! Those babies are the most adorable thing ever.

Karen Lakis said...

What a neat thing to be able to watch. Hopefully you’ll be able to make it to the other nest the next time you go back. Your photos are awesome - Great closeups!

BeachGypsy said...

Love this! I think the terns have such cute little faces. And those babies are beyond adorable!! How in the world did you get these great pictures!!? Looks like you were sitting right down in the sand with them!

Natalia said...

Baby chicks are so adorable!:)

Brian King said...

That's awesome! Beautiful photos of the little puff balls! The shade boxes are a nice idea.

Leanne Coppola said...

They are sooo cute!!!

Lowcarb team member said...

Such wonderful photographs of the Terns and their chicks.

All the best Jan

Conniecrafter said...

Oh my goodness are those babies just too adorable, I love that they have gone to great lengths to give them what they need to get a good start to life, and so neat you were able to get such great pics!