Black Oystercatcher, Avila Beach, June 2024

Black Oystercatcher
Cal Poly Pier, Avila Beach, June 21, 2024

Black Oystercatcher pair with two ten-day old chicks on the nest rock (hatched June 10 and 11, 2024).
The chicks were "home alone" a lot and there was no feeding. The parents were off the nest rock quite often, busily fending off two adult Black Oystercatchers.

The Brown Pelican carcass on the rock is coming in handy as shelter and possibly food for the chicks.

It has been suggested that the chicks might be trying to catch insects attracted to the carcass. They could also be feeding on fly larvae or eggs on/in the carcass, or even bird lice or other parasites still living on the pelican.