It’s not often I walk out on the beach and there are the birds I’m looking for. The oystercatcher Mom and juvenile were feeding right next to a snowy egret along the shoreline at Fort Desoto.
There were two juveniles with the parents and each one stayed close to a parent. The babies were almost as big as the parent but their feathers were not as black, their beaks were not as bright red and they didn’t have those beautiful yellow eyes yet. I sat down on the sand and watched the parents get some icky blob and feed it to the little ones over and over.
It was hard to get the entire family in one shot. I walked back on the beach a bit and was able to get both parents feeding the babies.
A couple of times the babies were able to find their own breakfast. They were watching everything Mom and Dad were doing.
They kept moving along the shoreline, staying busy eating.
At one point another bird came close and one of the parents flew off and chased it away. Here you can see that this one is banded with a red AE. She is the Mom and was banded in Georgia back in 2012. She has been a regular at Fort Desoto since then. The babies were born on Shell Key and didn’t make it over to the main beach here until they were old enough to fly over with their parents in early July.
They spent a long time feeding and I finally left. All of the above were taken with my 400mm lens and cropped up.
Love the Oystercatchers, great collection of photos.
Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend!
Oyster catchers are fascinating — you captured wonderful images of the little ones learning to get their own food.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
They really are gorgeous and so much fun to see them with their catch. Of course I would be thrilled to see the Snowy Egret. We rarely see one here. Enjoy your day! It’s a beautiful start here with a chance of showers. lol
Oystercatchers are so photogenic with their contrasting plumage.
Your superb photography helps show off their unique appearance and the whole series of the family feeding is fantastic!
I’ve heard their name but never ever even saw a photograph. Thank you! They are so devoted to each other, even at this stage, even the father. I’m wondering what they were eating . . .