Submitted by Pete Clarkson on Tue, 08/06/2013 - 11:50
* Click on the small square thumbnails to view larger images
I spent a couple of nights last week camping on Seabird Rocks. This small island off the West Coast Trail is the most abundent seabird and oystercatcher nesting site in Pacific Rim National Park. The park monitors nesting bird populations on the island by conducting regular surveys and banding adult birds. Ten different bird species nest on this treeless island. Oystercatchers nest on the small beaches, while the seabirds nest inside burrows they dig in the ground. They often have to contend with marine debris to find a nest site. The oystercatcher nest in this picture was totally surrounded by debris, including a large black float from the Japanese Tsunami. Unfortunately the nest was abandoned before we arrived and the egg was cold.