Save Our Oystercatcher Chicks!

Jess Esposito-Halka is a Westport resident, and coastal waterbird technician with Audubon Connecticut, monitoring protected beach-nesting and island-nesting birds across Western Connecticut in a collaborative effort with the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds. Jess writes:

Compo Beach is the westernmost mainland nesting site for American oystercatchers (a species of conservation concern in Connecticut), and a nesting site for the state and federally and state threatened species, the piping plover.

These species and their nests are protected under federal, state and local laws.

What’s special about Compo Beach is that is serves as a mainland nesting site for American Oystercatchers; 75% of Connecticut’s American Oystercatcher population breeds on offshore islands.

The roughly 25 pairs that nest on mainland beaches across our state are often much less successful, due to predator pressure and human disturbance.

Since 2015, one pair of American oystercatchers have nested at South Beach, near the cannons and jetty.

An American oystercatcher territorial display: defending a 3-egg nest at Compo Beach. All photos were taken with a zoom lens, to avoid disturbing the birds.

The birds return to Connecticut in April. Audubon Alliance staff fence off the area to protect nests and reduce human disturbance.

Entry into the fenced nesting area is prohibited for the bird’s protection, and yours. The accidental crushing of a nest or chick in any marked nesting areas is a direct violation of federal law.

The Compo oystercatcher pair has successfully hatched their nests only 3 times between 2015 – 2023.

In 2020, when beach access was restricted due to COVID, a pair successfully fledged 2 chicks for the first time and only time, emphasizing the importance of reducing human-related disturbance near sensitive beach-nesting species.

The pair recently hatched 2 eggs out of their first 3-egg nest attempt of the season, and are currently brooding 2 young chicks.

Westport Park & Recreation Department superintendent Mike West and maintenance division foreman Drew Grega have coordinated with me since the piping plovers and American oystercatchers returned to Compo Beach in April.

Mike and his team, including the wonderful Compo Beach staff, have been instrumental in our efforts to protect the nesting birds. Raking on South Beach has been halted to reduce disturbance and harm to the chicks, but will resume in a couple weeks.

Parks & Rec will continue to coordinate with us to protect the nesting pair and their chicks during the upcoming fireworks display

An American Oystercatcher, inside the Compo Beach fenced nesting area.

How can residents and beach visitors help?

Please respect nesting areas. Stay out of and at least 25 et away from the fence, to reduce disturbance and unintentional harm.

The fencing cannot be expanded below the mean high tide line because the tide can wash the fence posts away. But the area below the marked fencing (along water) at Compo is also extremely important to the birds’ overall nesting success, and should also be avoided as if physically fenced.

The chicks are quite smaller than the adults, and of similar color to the rocks below their nesting area by the water, which is where they hang out for most of the day because they blend in better with their environment.

At this life stage they hunker down when their parents alert them to threats. This is helpful when avian predators fly by, but not advantageous when a human walks through the rocks not noticing them underneath their feet.

An American oystercatcher carries mussel meat to feed her 2 recently hatched chicks at Compo Beach. (Photos/Jess Esposito-Halka)

Other disturbances include drones and kite flying near the nesting area. This causes harm to the oystercatchers, as they perceive them as avian predators. They defend their nest and chicks, and get tangled or injured in response.

In 2021 a drone near the nesting area resulted in a leg injury to an adult American oystercatchers, which led to the loss of their 2 young chicks.

To help reduce real predator attraction to the area, please dispose of all food waste and scrapes in nearby trash receptacles.

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Wildlife Division provides this advice to protect nesting shorebirds:

• Walk close to the water on the lower beach, so birds can rest and nest on the upper beach. Signs usually alert you to these areas. Follow all other guidance on signs, and respect all areas fenced or posted for protection of wildlife.
• Keep your distance while photographing or birdwatching, so the birds feel safe to attend to their eggs and chicks.
• Do not feed animals or wildlife on or near the beach.
• Do not attempt to “rescue” young birds that appear to be lost or too young. They should not be removed from the beach to be cared for at home. In most cases, when immature birds are found alone the adults have been frightened away but remain nearby, and will return to their young once the intruder leaves.

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