Coastal bird nesting season is in full swing on the Gulf Coast. One of the best areas to see this is at the Fort Pickens Area Gulf Island National Seashore near Pensacola Beach, Florida. On this trip I saw least terns, osprey and black skimmers.
Nesting Least Terns Pensacola BeachNesting least terns at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Least Terns Pensacola BeachNesting least terns at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Least Terns Pensacola BeachNesting least terns at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Least Terns Pensacola BeachNesting least terns at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida

Lest terns don't really build nests. They find areas on the beach that are near rocks and seashells and use camouflage to hide their eggs. As you can see from the images, the eggs are speckled to look like rocks and blend in with the surrounding. This is why local bird refuges rope off sections of the beach so people can't step on them.

Nesting Osprey Pensacola BeachNesting osprey at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Osprey Pensacola BeachNesting osprey at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Osprey Pensacola BeachNesting osprey at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Osprey Pensacola BeachNesting osprey at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida

On the opposite end of the spectrum, osprey build big nests in trees and platforms built especially for them. I didn't see any chicks peeking over the nests I observed. However, all the nests I observed had at least one parent attending it. This means there are eggs or small babies on the nest. I lean towards just eggs because I didn't see much urgency with osprey bringing fish to the nest. 

Nesting Black Skimmers Pensacola BeachNesting black skimmers at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Black Skimmers Pensacola BeachNesting black skimmers at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Black Skimmers Pensacola BeachNesting black skimmers at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Black Skimmers Pensacola BeachNesting black skimmers at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Black Skimmers Pensacola BeachNesting black skimmers at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Black Skimmers Pensacola BeachNesting black skimmers at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Black Skimmers Pensacola BeachNesting black skimmers at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida Nesting Black Skimmers Pensacola BeachNesting black skimmers at Fort Pickens near Pensacola Beach Florida

Back on the ground I found a black skimmer colony. I didn't see any eggs but did see several birds laying in depressions. Unlike terns the parents take turn scrapping an area to make a depression. From my perspective I couldn't get a complete view of the bottom so I can't say for sure they have laid eggs or have babies. Black skimmers are known for building nests near least terns and this causes conflict between the birds. I did see some conflicts as some of the black skimmers were getting too close to some of the tern nests. Terns are aggressive birds so the practice of skimmers building their nests close to them adds another level of protection for the skimmer colony.