Author Archives: JK

Egg Tooth on Oystercatcher Chicks

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Wednesday, June 17, 2020,

Okay, so here’s some major coolness. Well, at the very least, it’s pretty cool to me. I will attempt to express some of my awe and wonder in these few paragraphs. These photographs capture two baby Oystercatcher chicks on their very first day. These chicks are literally only a few hours old. Each one still has its egg tooth. The egg tooth is that small white nubbin near the end of their upper bills.

The beak and claws of most bird chicks growing inside of an egg are often undeveloped and therefore not strong enough to allow the chick to break out of the egg when it is ready to meet the world. Nature has provided a solution to this dilemma. A hard, sharp protrusion develops near the tip of the upper beak of the embryonic chick. This is the “egg tooth” and it is used by the emerging chick to break free of its eggshell. Many reptiles and amphibians use a similar strategy.

Having been an amateur naturalist since the age of five, I have been aware of the concept of an egg tooth for decades. These photos mark the very first time I have ever seen, let alone photographed, an actual egg tooth. How cool is that? This remarkable structure, no longer needed, will drop off after a few days.  JK

JK

A Bathing Robin

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Monday, June 15, 2020,

Splish splash I was taking a bath

In a pretty puddle last week

In the middle of the park

And happy as a lark

Just me, as free as could be

I was soaking, there’s no joking

Bathing but behaving

The water was so soothing

Got me into grooving

Thought about some singing

And the crowd that might be bringing

I really wanted to sing out

But there were birders all about

Decided to keep quiet

And thus avoid the riot

I thought I was alone

But a sight did make me groan

A bald guy took a photo

And me just thinking “Oh no”

Why can’t they let me be?

My feathers are too messy

Don’t need no one to see me

Till I’m looking pretty. 

JK

 

Female Box Turtle

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Friday, June 12, 2020,

Meet 209. She is a youngish female Eastern Box Turtle that happened across my path as I was walking the grounds at Sweetbriar Nature Center. She’s not yet fully grown but I have met with this particular turtle before. As a long-time volunteer at Sweetbriar, it has been my sometime job to document the Box Turtles that roam the property. As a result, it has been my good luck and fortune to meet many of the free-ranging residents. This is not a captive turtle, but she has been tagged and documented.  JK

JK

A Common Tern Tending Her Nest

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Thursday, June 11, 2020,

This is a series of photos of a Common Tern tending to her nest. Terns, like many other shorebirds, make very simple nests. Most are usually just shallow scrapes in the sand. Terns depend more on their cryptically colored eggs than on fancy digs to conceal their location.

This Tern, however, fancies herself a bit of a Martha Stewart. She’s already laid her two eggs but now she’s redecorating. A little extra sand, perhaps a stick or two, and the place is really starting to shape up.

Take note of the skate egg case in the foreground. It’s that small black pouch with “horns” at either end. Some folks refer to them as Mermaid Purses. They’re actually the egg cases to certain species of sharks and rays. But today, it’s about to become a bit of home decor.

Check out where that Mermaid’s Purse has ended up. If you click on the above photo for a larger view, you may notice one of it’s “horns” sticking up in front of the eggs. A beautiful finishing touch, don’t you think? And now, it’s time for a rest.  JK

JK