We complete another successful oystercatcher survey in Gwaii Haanas and say goodbye to the island for another season.

We were back in Gwaii Haanas June 27- July 1 for a second round of oystercatcher surveys. We were again fortunate to have very favourable weather (with the exception of one rainy morning!) which allowed the survey to proceed very smoothly. We again made the Bischof Islands our base and spent the following days revisiting shorelines in the surrounding area. Eggs had hatched at many of the territories that we had visited previously, adding the challenge of searching for well camouflaged chicks amongst the rocks. The task of locating the chicks was made easier if prey remains were present. Limpet, mussel and chiton shells get left behind as parents feed their young, and are a good clue to use when looking for chicks. Prey remains were collected during the survey and categorized back in camp in order to look at chicks diets...Limpets are still the most popular item by far, followed by mussels, chitons and small abalone. We in fact observed an oystercatcher pry loose an abalone only to have it snatched by an opportunistic gull that was sitting nearby...keeping the chicks fed might not always be as easy as it looks!