Amidst a month of devastating news in Louisiana since Hurricane Ida made landfall, we have some happy news to share about beach-nesting birds. For the first time in 10 years, Black Skimmers successfully fledged chicks on the Louisiana mainland, thanks in part to a recent project to restore beaches in the southwestern corner of the state. Black Skimmers are striking black-and-white seabirds with a fascinating bill. Their lower mandible is longer than the top, looking almost like an under bite. Skimmers get their name from flying just above the water with that long, lower mandible skimming the water for food. When it hits a fish, it automatically snaps shut. Black Skimmers often nest on remote barrier islands, with only a handful of failed nesting attempts documented on the Louisiana’s mainland beaches in Cameron Parish since our coastal stewardship program’s inception in 2011. In late July this year, our seasonal biologists located a Black Skimmer nest “scrape,” or a...