{"id":6916,"date":"2010-07-21T10:24:32","date_gmt":"2010-07-21T15:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=6916"},"modified":"2010-11-14T13:55:22","modified_gmt":"2010-11-14T18:55:22","slug":"american-oystercatchers-on-the-south-coast-of-massachusetts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=6916","title":{"rendered":"American Oystercatchers on the South Coast of Massachusetts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"aocsc<\/a><\/p>\n

American Oystercatcher, Stewarts Island, Sippican Harbor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

American oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus<\/em>) with bright orange beaks and penetrating golden eyes offer an exquisite contrast to the browns and grays and greens of the\u00c2\u00a0coastal New England landscape.\u00c2\u00a0 Nearly driven to extinction in the Northeast due to poaching and hunting, the species began to return to Massachusetts waters\u00c2\u00a0under the protection of the Migratory Bird Treaty, but populations remain uncomfortably low.\u00c2\u00a0 Not covered by the federal Endangered Species Act, American oystercatchers depend on the protection of individual states, many of which list them as a species of special concern because of dwindling populations.\u00c2\u00a0 Unfortunately, Massachusetts is not one of these states.<\/p>\n

\"aocsc<\/a><\/p>\n

Banded Oystercatcher Pair, Gravel Island, Sippican Harbor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Massachusetts Audubon Society, through its Coastal Waterbird Program<\/a>, monitors American oystercatchers, and Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary director Bob Prescott (rprescott@massaudubon.org<\/a>) has taken a special interest in protecting these beautiful coastal birds.\u00c2\u00a0 When nesting pairs are identified and located, Mass Audubon has installed symbolic fencing to protect the pair from unintended disturbance.\u00c2\u00a0 Turtle Journal has observed breeding pairs on the Outer Cape and on the SouthCoast and notes that parents are extremely\u00c2\u00a0dedicated to and protective\u00c2\u00a0of their nests and their young.<\/p>\n

\"aocsc<\/a><\/p>\n

Banded American Oystercatcher “W5” on Gravel Island<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Turtle Journal has documented American oystercatchers on the SouthCoast for the last\u00c2\u00a0seven years coincident with our diamondback terrapin studies from Mount Hope Bay on the Rhode Island\/Massachusetts border to the Cape Cod Canal.\u00c2\u00a0 This summer, Sue Wieber Nourse discovered a breeding pair, including banded oystercatcher “W5” above, on rocky, salt marsh Gravel Island in Marion’s Sippican Harbor.<\/p>\n

\"aocsc<\/a><\/p>\n

Four Oystercatchers, Stewarts Island, Sippican Harbor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A couple of weeks later, Sue found oystercatcher “W5” and three others foraging the tidal flats 1.75 miles to the south on Stewarts Island in Sippican Harbor.<\/p>\n

<\/a>\"aocsc<\/a><\/p>\n

Oystercatcher Juveniles with Parents, West Island<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In August 2007, Turtle Journal’s Don Lewis (Don_Lewis@post.harvard.edu<\/a>) \u00c2\u00a0documented two juvenile American oystercatchers with parents on the north shore of West Island in Fairhaven.<\/p>\n

\"aocsc<\/a><\/p>\n

Oystercatcher Pair on Aucoot Cove Barrier Strip<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Turtle Journal found another breeding pair of American oystercatchers on Aucoot Cove’s barrier strip in July 2007.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\"aocsc<\/a><\/p>\n

Oystercatcher Parents with Juvenile (Left), Aucoot Cove<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Then, later in the summer, Turtle Journal discovered the oystercatcher\u00c2\u00a0parents foraging along the shoreline of Aucoot Cove with a juvenile.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\"aocsc<\/a><\/p>\n

American Oystercatchers Fly through Sippican Harbor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sippican Harbor in Marion is an active sailing center with hundreds of yachts moored at anchor between Head of Harbor to the north and Ram Island in the south.\u00c2\u00a0 Luckily, there are a number of small, gravelly marsh\u00c2\u00a0islands scattered through the estuary where pairs of osytercatchers can secret themselves away from the noise and the flutter of summer busy-ness.\u00c2\u00a0 And while the SouthCoast can’t rival the Outer Cape for isolation, there remain a few spots like the north shoreline of West Island in Fairhaven where humans have trouble frequenting.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\"aocsc<\/a><\/p>\n

American Oystercatcher in Flight, Buzzards Bay<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you’d like to help restore American oystercatcher populations in coastal Massachusetts, let Turtle Journal know if you discover a breeding pair or have a sighting of these magnificent shorebirds.\u00c2\u00a0 Our 24\/7 hotline remains open at 508-274-5108.\u00c2\u00a0 Of course, Massachusetts Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary<\/a> welcomes information on potential nesting sites and can be reached at 508-349-2615.<\/p>\n