Black Oystercatcher Incubates Eggs | Bob Armstrong's Nature Alaska

Black Oystercatchers are common nesting birds along most of the southern coastal areas of Alaska.
They usually nest on small islands but in some areas, such as Glacier Bay, they may nest along the rocky mainland shores.
The female typically lays one to three eggs.
This nest has three eggs so the “clutch” is complete.
This video was taken on a hot sunny day in Juneau.
You can notice the adult opening its mouth and panting to help cool down.
Since black feathers tend to absorb rather than reflect the sunlight it is probably too warm.
Both sexes incubate. At first mostly female, but male equalizes duty later in incubation period. Eggs are covered 90–98% of time.
Oystercatchers may select the same nest site several years in a row.
We observed one tagged oystercatcher that nested in the exact same spot for seven years.