Another Season Arrives
Welcome Back!
The island has withstood a winter of cold winds and shifting sands. Although the footprint is a little different and names like "New Island" and even "Gilligan's Island" are being used in day to day language, North Beach Island is continuing to evolve into an ideal habitat for many exciting birds.
Once again, I invite you to join me as I enjoy my second season monitoring the various species of birds that attempt to nest on North Beach Island. You can see a photo summary of last year by Clicking Here and/or read the summary by Clicking Here
As of March 30th, 2008, sixteen (16) Piping Plovers were confirmed "hanging out" together actively feeding to replenish after a long migration.
April 14th will mark a year since I drove off of North Beach for the last time. It was that April Nor'easter that allowed Mother Nature to established her own "vehicle barrier" between what was once road Seven and Eight. North Beach Island is maturing into the ultimate birding haven.
Join me, as I watch the season unfold. View the photos in my PHOTO GALLERY and see the birds as they come and go. Learn about the breeding cycle of many birds (particularly the Piping Plover) from egg to juvenile. I will blog about my routine visits to the territories and report on my day to day discoveries.
"What is" and "Where is"
North Beach?
Last year, I tried (with little success) to address the What and Where
regarding North Beach. This year, I am happy to share that
Timothy J. Wood (Tim Woods) author of “Breakthrough,
The Story of Chatham's North Beach” has put together an
extremely comprehensives
website which "Chronicles" (no pun intended; as Tim is
the
Cape Cod
Chronicle) the evolution of North Beach Island.
Please visit the site to fully understand how this island came to be and what the future may have in store for the area and the camp owners.
Meet the First Chicks of the 2008 Season
Click to Enlarge
Welcome the first Piping Plovers Chicks of the season. The four chicks hatched out on June 22.
As of June 23 all four chicks were seen together
feeding with both parents. Unfortunately, the odds are not in their
favor. The island is riddled
with predators.
CLICK HERE to learn how
this nest escaped the odds that were stacked against them and destroyed
several neighboring nests.
Check out our Nesting Pair Summary Page
North Beach Island
The above Map was made using Google Earth. It is not scientific. It depicts the island based on a hand held Garmin and my own experience, seeing it regularly.