Stewardship Report: Black Oystercatcher Success
As summer comes to an end, we at HRAP are reflecting on a busy summer and its challenges and rewards. One of the biggest rewards was seeing the resident Black Oystercatcher pair successfully raise a chick for the first time in six years! After losing their first nest in late May, they tried again with one egg. The chick hatched in late June, and it was a joy to watch the pair raise the chick in the nesting area until mid-August, when the chick fledged and started to forage around Haystack Rock under the watchful eyes of its parents. We are still seeing the trio foraging together on the boulders on the north and south sides, as well as along the north wall. The chick will stay with its parents until next spring, when it will head off into the world to try to find a mate. The Black Oystercatcher chick left the nest area with its parents around August 12. Here they are foraging on the north side (parents top and bottom, chick in the middle). Photo by Tia Prudholm The black oyster