PIPING PLOVER
By Sallie Phillips, No 3 / 2001
A bird species on the Federal threatened list on the Babylon barrier beaches is the piping plover, Charadrius melodis.
According to Brian Zitani from the Department of Environmental Control, 2001 was a good year for piping plovers in Babylon and on Jones Island in whole. Babylon had 12 nesting pairs and 25 chicks fledged. That amounts to better than 2 per nest fledging. The Federal quota for our area is 1.8 fledglings per nest. This is the second year that Babylon beaches have surpassed their quota.
On the whole of Jones Island there were 30 pairs of nesting piping plovers in 2001. One thing to note: the plovers nested earlier this season and the young hatched well before the beach crowds showed up. Further, all of the pairs on the Babylon beaches were successful on their first nesting attempt. Also, the weather cooperated this season and the conservation measures to protect these tiny birds is helping.
The piping plover is a small, 5 1/2”, roundish, sandy-colored bird that resembles a sandpiper. It has a stubby bill, shorter than the sandpiper’s. The adult has orange legs, a black ring around its neck and a black stripe across its forehead from eye to eye. Its upperparts are pale gray and its underparts white. It scurries around in short bursts. The piping plover, when motionless, blends into the background of its sandy habitat. Sometimes the only way to spot the piping plover is to listen for its call, a series of bell-like whistles, from which it gets its name.
Piping plovers were common along the Atlantic Coast during the 19th century but, at last count, the Atlantic population is less than 1400 pairs. They can be found on coastal beaches from Newfoundland to North Carolina during breeding season. Wintering is from the Carolinas to Florida.
Piping plovers return to their breeding area in late March or early April. Once the couple has determined its nesting territory and completed the courtship ritual, a depression in the sand on the high beach close to, but not in, the dunes becomes their nest. Sometimes the nest is lined with pebbles or shell fragments. Typically, 4 eggs are hatched in 25 days. The eggs and the very tiny downy young are both well camouflaged - sand colored.
The young plovers scurry after their parents as soon as they hatch feeding on insects they find in the sand. When an intruder comes into the plover domain, the young, who can’t fly yet, stand still while the parents attempt to attract the intruder away from the young. One technique is to fake a broken wing, limping away from the vulnerable youngsters. when the intruder is “faked out” the parent flies away.
About 30 days after hatching, the surviving young take flight and are less subject to predation and weather events. When a pair’s first nest is disrupted by intrusion from stormtides, predators or humans, the pair will renest nearby. The young hatched from the second nest may not fledge until late August. By mid-September, piping plovers are heading south to their winter quarters.
Over the years commercial, residential and recreational development have decreased the area available to piping plovers for nesting. Because of their effective camouflage, trampling is a threat. Any disturbance, human or otherwise can cause the parent to leave eggs exposed to the frying summer sun. Predators like raccoons, foxes, and feral cats are attracted to public beach areas by food trash left by humans and soon discover the taste of plover eggs and hatchlings.
KEEP IN MIND AND SPREAD THE WORD
* Respect all areas fenced or posted for the protection of wildlife and plants.
* Do not approach or linger near designated nesting areas.
* Keep all pets on beaches on leashes.
* Dont leave or bury trash or food scraps on the beach
PIPING PLOVERS - WANTED ALIVE
By Raoul Castaneda, No 3 / 1993
After the loss of a second piping plover nest to human interference, Supervisor Rich Schaffer directed the Town of Babylon Department of Environmental Control to find a more effective way of protecting this endangered species. We spoke with people from several agencies working with endangered species, wildlife, birds, and enforcement.
The main problem with most fish and wildlife violations is that they occur “out in the woods” where traditional police coverage is thinly spread. The damage of poaching and vandalism also occurs mostly at night. For these reasons education and peer pressure are better ways to prevent problems than hiring more police.
We learned from Anne Hecht, US Fish and Wildlife Service species recovery team leader that a reward offered in the Cape Cod area had been effective in preventing damage to nests from beach party crowds. The reward is a great idea also because the posters will help to tell people about the birds and why they need to be left alone. To raise money for the reward, we contacted several wildlife and beach user groups. We did this because the Schaffer administration refuses to let us spend beyond our budget, but going to volunteer groups turned out to be a great way to further spread the word about the birds. The Nature Conservancy, Great South Bay Audubon Society, Moriches Bay Audubon, Long Island Beach Buggy Association and the New York Sportfish Federation were eager to help. Some individuals even called to chip in.
To publicize the reward our Public Information Officer made up a poster, and Rich Schaffer offered to hold a press conference to attract media attention and circulate the poster. Wayne Horsley from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation pitched in with increased signs along the Ocean Parkway and at State Gilgo, and increased enforcement of no parking rules to prevent dune crossing at the nesting areas. We even had offers of help from the Surffinder Foundation and the Eastern Surfing Association. We were pleasantly surprised that so many people from different backgrounds and interests were aware of the birds and ready to help.
In 1992, the Town of Babylon had 16 pairs of nesting plovers, 7% of the Long Island total. Only 13 chicks survived to fledge, but this was above the Long Island average. The Nature Conservancy staff and volunteers built predator exclosure cages around each nest to keep out foxes, crows, gulls, cats, dogs, and people. The birds are so small they can move through the wire mesh. Last year the cages worked fairly well, but this year vandals or curious beach goers broke 2 cages. The crows were waiting and quickly stole the eggs. Even with the cages and the string fencing around their feeding areas, a pair of plovers manages to raise only 1 chick out of 2 clutches of 4 eggs each. The summer beach can be a harsh environment and just parking your blanket near a nest can kill the chicks. If the adults leave the nest the eggs can bake in the sun within 15 minutes. When the chicks hatch they need food constantly and the adults must forage undisturbed all day, taking turns on the nest to shade the hatchlings. Just a constant passage of jeeps or walkers could cause the young to starve.
As you may have read in the excellent Beacon article, and as Ms. Nancy Schlotter from US Fish and Wildlife explained, there are severe penalties for damaging nests or taking eggs. Unfortunately, the special agents who came to investigate had only footprints for evidence. Without eyewitnesses, there is no case. We hope the publicity and posters will eliminate the need for our beaches to become felony crime scenes. I don’t believe anybody would have damaged the cages deliberately, so public education is the key to satisfying the curiosity seekers. We at the Town of Babylon Department of Environmental Control are grateful to Save the Beaches for the opportunity to tell the Plover’s story in you newsletter. Thank You!
This article has been provided by Raoul Castaneda of the Town of Babylon DEC