A Third Nest

More nesting news! A third nest has been discovered at Grand Beach. Its located near the closed Change-house on the East Beach and as the photo shows it is less pebbled than either the Parking Lot or Channel nest. When we found the nest, it already had four eggs in it and, as this section of beach is quite narrow and frequently used by pedestrian traffic, we have erected orange plastic snow fencing to provide some protection. As we don't know when the first two eggs were laid, it is impossible to estimate their hatch date. We will be checking the nest daily.

We have also discovered that the pair in Parking Lot # 5 have abandonned their first nest and have re-nested about 2 meters away. They are currently incubating another clutch of four eggs and we hope that this second nest will hatch in about four weeks. Re-nesting usually occurs if a nest has been disturbed or if the eggs are infertile. As the pair have re-nested so close to the original nest site, the nest wasn't abadonned because the adults were disturbed. Unfortunately because the birds have expended so much of their energy on the first nest, second nestings are not usually as successful - fewer eggs hatch and/or chicks are smaller/weaker. You can be sure we will be keeping a close watch on this nest over the next few of weeks - hopefully all will be well.