Nesting on Nickerson Beach
                                                    A children's handbook and a photography book

The Piping Plovers, the American Oystercatcher, the Least Tern, the Common Tern and the Black Skimmer have been nesting in the Nickerson Beach dunes for more than a thousand years.

Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnstones, Red Knots, Black Bellied Plovers, Willets, Royal Terns and a variety of Gulls and migrants land to rest and feed on the beach.

Osprey overfly to fish in the Atlantic and the Peregrine Falcon attack from the air.

Nickerson Beach is a natural paradise.

The Piping Plover
Slideshow - Adult with chick, three chicks, a juvenile and a nesting video.
Piping Plovers return to Nickerson Beach in April, they begin nesting in May and the chicks hatch in June. Piping Plovers feed on insects around the ephemeral pools formed by the rain and in the wrack (seaweed & debris) along the beach and begin to fly as juveniles in July and August.

The American Oystercatcher
Slideshow - Adult with chick, three chicks, two juveniles feeding with parent and a nesting video.
The American Oystercatcher returns to Nickerson Beach as early as March and they are sometimes on the nest by April and their chick hatch by May. They feed on Mole Crabs where the water meets the sand by probing and exploring with their long beak, shake the crab from the shell and feed their chicks individually. They are the most attentive parents on the beach and their chicks are never neglected. 

The Least Tern
Slideshow - Adult with eggs, adult with chick, a juvenile and a nesting video.
The Least Tern returns to Nickerson by mid-May and their chicks usually hatch by early July. They are the smallest Tern in the United States and they hover over the ocean and dive to capture small bait fish for their chicks. The Least Tern is swift and agile in the air and they sing a very pleasant song.

The Common Tern
Slideshow - Adult feeding fresh fish to their chicks, a juvenile and a nesting video.
Common Terns return to Nickerson Beach in May by the thousands and can always be found diving for fish and preening on the beach. They make their nest in the dunes where they are protected in the grass. Common Terns are noisy and relentless in defending their nest and chicks. They are always fishing and feeding their chicks and they are fun to watch.

The Black Skimmer
Slideshow - Adult with chick, two chicks in the nest, a juvenile and a flock blast-off.
The Black Skimmers arrive in late May and lay on the beach enjoying the Sun and they move to the dunes to nest in the grass. They are the largest nesting bird on the beach and they are a little clumsy in the sand, and magnificent in flight. They skim along the surface of the water with their lower bill in the water and clamp tightly when they feel a fish and return to feed their chicks.

Cabana walkway signs for the beach goers. 

The Conservation and Waterways Team
John Z - Tara - Rob - Chris - Kate
The Black Skimmer Banding Team
Thank you.