Tag Archives: American Oystercatcher

Oystercatchers on Jetty

November 10, 2025 Ellen Jennings 4 Comments

I saw an Oystercatcher fly by as we walked out to a small jetty. I was somewhat surprised to see one there and also disappointed that I didn’t get a photo.

Then I saw that a number of shore birds had gathered as the ebbing tide exposed the jetty. There was an occasional kerfuffle with some smaller birds that stayed hidden from my view in the grass.

The Oystercatchers were poking around in the grass and climbing the rocks.

There were no oysters in sight, and I didn’t see what prey they might have been getting but they must have been successful as they kept at it.

Port Charles, VA
October 23, 2025

Water Birds

Not Just Brown Pelicans

July 17, 2025 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

We didn’t just see Brown Pelicans on the Pelican Cruise. A wide variety of other shore birds are using Bird Key this summer, including American Oyster Catchers.

Our guide could see Black Skimmers nesting in the interior of the island with his binoculars.

The bobbing boat prevented any meaningful photographs, but several were resting at the edge of the surf mixed with some Laughing Gulls.

I was disappointed to not get a clearer image of this juvenile Dolphin, but it was such a joy to pass by a Dolphin pod on our way out to Bird Key.

June 14, 2025

Bird Key – Stono, a barrier island that sits in the mouth of South Carolina’s Stono River, between Kiawah and Folly Islands.

All photos taken from a boat.

Shore Birds

Oystercatchers in Nesting Habitat

June 26, 2023 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

They may not have been nesting, but this is the type of terrain American Oystercatchers make their nests, as seen from a boat on my recent excursion into Charleston Harbor.

This section of Shutes Folly, an island in Charleston harbor, is mostly shells, with a depression in the middle where some grass has managed to grow.

Their nests are difficult to spot, just a divot in the ground, which is one of the many reasons nesting grounds are closed to humans during breeding season.

Baby Pelican Cruise with Coastal Expeditions, leaving from Daniel Island on the Wando River side down to Charleston Harbor and the New Crab Bank just off Shem Creek.

American Oystercatcher Trio Flying By

June 23, 2023 Ellen Jennings 12 Comments

This American Oystercatcher trio was circling around looking to land. The racket they were making made it easier for me to follow them.

Charleston Harbor, SC
June 23, 2023

Shore Birds

Nesting Oystercatcher

June 4, 2022 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

American Oystercatchers make “divot” nests, basically a depression in the ground which in this case was a mound of shells.

While one adult sat on the nest the other paced around…

…what else is there to do until the young hatch?

I didn’t get a very good picture of the overall scene, but this gives you an idea of how vulnerable these birds are.

Marsh edge of Kiawah River, SC
June 1, 2022

Shore Birds

American Oystercatchers, Bulls Island

April 20, 2022 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

A pair of American Oystercatchers were standing on a dike between two brackish ponds, with no oysters in sight for their breakfast.

They didn’t stay long, and is sometimes the case when photographing birds in flight, they were too close to cut one out of the picture, and too far apart to make a really pleasing composition. But it is birds in flight and you can see their eyes so I went with it.

One of the birds was banded, a project of The American Oystercatcher Working Group (http://amoywg.org/).

Bulls Island is an uninhabited 5000 acre barrier island off the coast of South Carolina with multiple ecosystems including maritime forest, fresh and brackish water impoundments and salt marsh.

April 2, 2022

Shore Birds, This and That

Matching Steps

October 25, 2019 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

Not just people like walking on the beach.

There’s something about having sand between your toes that is satisfying.

Oystercatcher U5 was reported to the American Oystercatcher Working Group.

The American Oystercatcher Working Group seeks to develop, support and implement range-wide research and management efforts that promote the conservation of Atlantic coast American Oystercatchers and their habitats through individual and partnership-based initiatives guided by recommendations of the Working Group’s membership. http://amoywg.org/

Shore Birds

American Oystercatcher Flying Over Surf

September 15, 2019 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

This American Oystercatcher had been standing in the surf. He got a running start then smoothly took off with one full beat of his wings.

It was just after dawn and he was flying directly into the sun, which I think must not affect birds’ eyes the way it does mine.

The incoming tide created a nice series of waves behind the bird.

He let out a squawk for good measure before he disappeared down the beach.

Shore Birds

American Oystercatchers Low Over Surf

September 10, 2019 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

Low over the incoming surf a pair of American Oystercatchers flew down the beach.

Botany Bay Island, SC, August 4, 2019

Shore Birds

American Oystercatchers in the Surf

August 6, 2019 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

The American Oystercatchers I featured in yesterday’s post, American Oystercatchers Flying In, landed fairly close to me but back lit by the just risen sun. I continued down the beach past them, then turned back to see what they were up to.

They were strutting around in the low surf. True to their name, they mostly eat oysters or will probe for other food.

There was no oyster bed here and these two didn’t seem interested in hunting. They soon took off.