The latest issue of Palm Beach County’s ERM LWL e-newsletter (under Updates and News, click on September e-newsletter) has an article about our local celebrity, the American Oystercatcher family in the Lake Worth Lagoon:

An American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliates) was observed feeding with his parents along the mudflats at Snook Islands Natural Area in the Lake Worth Lagoon. This is the second year in a row that an oystercatcher has fledged from this location! It’s even more exciting when you consider there is no previous record of American oystercatchers nesting in Palm Beach County.
True to its name, this large coastal shorebird uses its striking orange bill to feed on oysters, clams, mussels, crabs, marine worms, and other invertebrates. Oystercatchers nest in Florida between March and July, typically inhabiting isolated beaches, dredged-material islands, and shell bars. A shallow nest is scraped into the substrate above the high-tide line and typically 2 or 3 eggs are laid. Both mom and dad incubate the eggs for 25 to 27 days, and the young take their first flight at about 35 days of age. Oystercatchers are listed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a Species of Special Concern in Florida as a result of habitat loss and disturbance due to intensive beach development and concentrated human recreation.