Splish Splash...

...I was taking a bath:

Each time we arrive at Hans Suter Nature Reserve in town, before we even arrive at the end of the boardwalk and last observation gazebo, the sound of Laughing Gulls can be heard, along with the calls of American Coots and other ducks. But this particular morning, as I approached the 'stopping point' before the bay and surrounding open fields are posted against human invasion, I spotted this bathing beauty, busy, preening itself and I got a kick out of all the maneuvers...

A short drive away, at a small fishing village called Rockport, Texas, there is a bit of work being done by the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program...they've recorded a 'mating call' of the Black Skimmer and it will be played for the next few weeks at the local beach parking area. You see, Texas's beaches are open to vehicle traffic, and the Black Skimmers nest and rear their young ON THE BEACHES. In an attempt to lure them to a safer area, less traveled, in hopes of saving more chicks from harm, this is their endeavor to 'drive them to safety'. Here is a partial write-up in our city's newspaper:

CORPUS CHRISTI — Visitors near the traffic circle in Rockport Beach Park will be treated to an unusual soundtrack sometime during the next few weeks: a black skimmer mating call playing on loop. The recording will be part of local park and wildlife officials’ second year of attempts to coax a stubborn colony of black skimmers away from their potentially perilous nesting ground to a safer location a few yards away. The black skimmers that have laid claim to a sandy patch in a Rockport Beach Park traffic circle risk harm from passing vehicles and pedestrians during nesting season, which will begin in a few weeks, officials said. 'This is a way to improve their situation without harassing the skimmers, trying to entice them to a better location,' said Owen Fitzsimmons, a coastal waterbird scientist with the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program. Black skimmer chicks easily blend in with the road they have to cross to get to the beach and waterfront. The park posted signs last year warning drivers to keep an eye out for the chicks, and the traffic circle is closed to cars when the chicks become mobile, said Keith Barrett, Aransas County Navigation District harbor master. 'They’re exposed (and) in close proximity to traffic,' Barrett said, noting that the black skimmer colony stayed put as he passed them in his SUV. 'We drove within 40 feet of them, and they stayed relatively calm.' READ MORE...

In my opinion, if this idea saves even a dozen, more or less, chicks it's worth every second of time, and money spent!! I know there is always the fact that we could place  a 'no vehicle ban' on beaches around the country/world, but in Texas the voters have their say, and it's always the same thing...vehicles are allowed. There are miles and miles and miles of beaches along the coast [Texas has 367 miles of general coastline and 3,359 miles of tidal shoreline].  With very few access roads in comparison, I can understand wanting the use of vehicles to get from one point to the other. It's just sad to know that some humans have no respect for nature and ignore the fact that without nature, humans wouldn't exist!!! Respect and common sense should be utilized into the survival of all; again...in my opinion. The more awareness of the world we live in, the more work and effort should be put into our daily lives to protect. So, if you visit any beach areas during mating/nesting season...take a long look before driving to your destination for fishing, or frolicking in the Gulf waters... Better yet, park the car, walk the beaches. LOL

[map of Rockport Beach courtesy of Google Maps]

BLACK SKIMMER

photos taken:  Oso Bay [Hans Suter Refuge]- Corpus Christi Texas

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