Piping Plovers On The New Hampshire Coast
Piping plover chicks have hatched on the New Hampshire Coast. I visited last week. In the short section of beach I visited, I found two families with chicks, one with three and one with four chicks. There were also a number of common terns terrorizing the beach denizens, winged, armed or legged.
What’s your vote for cutest bird? Piping plover chicks have to be on anyone’s list.
Let’s start with the terns. They nest in the sand dunes not far above high tide. They make a shallow scrape for their eggs. And, they defend their territory with gusto! They’ll swoop, peck and sometimes poop on intruders. Once one tern gets upset about an intruder, it seems like all the terns on the beach join in the commotion and find some critter to drive off.
Here’s mom – or maybe dad, only they know – overseeing the chicks running about on the beach.
Here’s one practicing being cute.
Tree Swallows Have Four Eggs, June 13, 2021
Another day, another egg for our tree swallows.
Swallows Have Three Eggs, June 12, 2021
Our swallows now have three eggs. Mrs. Swallow spent much of her morning in the box. When she ventured out for brunch, dad popped in to count the eggs.
Dad spent much of his morning perched on his ‘deck’ – the perch I clamped to the hummingbird feeder for the hummers. We had a nice conversation while I had my breakfast this morning. Here’s mom fidgeting in the box for a bit.
Tree Swallows Have an Egg! June 10, 2021
Mrs. Swallow has spent most of the day in her box. She laid her first egg this morning.
Solar Eclipse, June 10, 2021
Just a couple pix from today’s solar eclipse, taken from Rogers Hill in West Newbury, Vermont.
Tree Swallows Have Moved In! June 8, 2021
A pair of tree swallows appeared last week and checked out both our camera equipped nesting boxes. The bluebirds, who we have had only glimpses of since their chicks fledged, reappeared to explain that the box to the north was theirs. The swallows settled on the other box. Which promptly attracted at least one more pair of swallows interested in the box. One pair has claimed it and started building. Hopefully the bluebirds will return for another brood in their box.
We’re getting a kick out of them. The box is about 15′ from where we sit on the deck. In front of the deck, we’ve got a humming bird feeder with a stick clamped onto the hook to let the hummingbirds rest. The stick is only about 10′ from my chair on the deck. I’m not surprised that the hummingbirds don’t care. But, I am a little surprised at how comfortable the swallows are sitting there as we come and go. The swallows and the dogs had a few conversations; Dexter gave them a good woofing, but they held their ground and chattered back at him. Now they all ignore each other.
Here’s their progress as of this morning.
And, We’ve Got An Empty Nest, May 25, 2021
And our second chick heads out to explore the world.
Go ahead and bookmark my blog. I’ll have occasional updates and more critter pix.
First Chick Has Fledged! May 25, 2021
Our first chick took the plunge and left the box about 1015 this morning. Mom and dad have been perched on the deck roof calling to the chicks most of the morning. At 1230, the second chick is still in the box. He’s looking out regularly, but has yet been brave enough to go.
We’ve Still Got Bluebirds, May 24, 2021
They chicks are still in the box. They’ve made several feints towards the door, but have always backed down.
Bluebirds Still With Us, May 23, 2021
Our chicks we’re very active peering out the box’s entrance much of the morning. The wind picked up about noon and we’ve had intermittent heavy showers. That seemed to lessen their interest in the outside world. They’ve more or less settled in the box since midday. Mom and dad were calling from the yard this morning, but are making more frequent trips in with food this afternoon.