Mystery Solved - What Are the Wooden Structures in the Bird Closures at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge?
Refuge staff have placed multiple chick shelters of different sizes in the temporary beach closures to protect shorebird chicks. American oystercatchers, black skimmers, and least terns are all nesting in the closures. As chicks emerge and start to be mobile, they will use the wooden chick shelters to cool off in the shade and avoid predators. Sand temperatures in the summer can be 20-30+ degrees more than air temperatures.
