The staff in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia, have an area protected just off a very heavily used area where an American Oystercatcher has made a nest. The nest apparently contains just one egg, as seen in the second photograph. Oystercatchers are considered a high priority shorebird species of conservation concern in the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan. In Delaware they are considered endangered and also a species pf special concern. Habitat loss is a primary threat for them. This nest was literally about 20 feet from the edge of a parking lot that is heavily used. The USFWS staff had set up a perimeter fence so people could watch and take photographs a safe distance from the nest. The perimeter fence closed off quite a few parking spaces providing a buffer much larger than just the edge of the parking lot. The bird on the nest was apparently quite acclimated to all the human activity nearby as it went about its business with no outward sign of concern. Pretty interesting to see this handsome bird and its nest.
