Beach cleanup was a big success last week and the beach is looking much more sandy!
The skimmer chicks are continuing to learn to fly and feed themselves, and I recently saw a good-sized flock of skimmers that had flown a couple of miles down the beach in
the Critical Wildlife Area. As the skimmers are dispersing there are fewer and fewer on Carlos Beach--last night I counted only 29 flight-capable chicks and 108 adults. There
were also 165 sandwich terns, 4 royal terns, and over 50 laughing gulls in the flock.
You can see in the photo how the skimmer chicks are getting more and more adult features--their beak is two-toned, and the bottom has grown longer than the top, their legs are becoming brighter orange, and their flight feathers are getting longer!
I plan to remove the remaining fencing next week, and the next round of mowing and tilling can be scheduled soon thereafter.
Robin Serne
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