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People are encroaching on plover's nesting areas
© 2004 Sidney Maddock Photo
A 4-day-old Piping Plover chick feeds near the water.
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Published: September 16, 2008
The Piping Plover is a cute little bird. It is not much bigger than a bluebird and resembles the small "peep" sandpiper. It breeds on Atlantic beaches and on flats alongside rivers and lakes in the upper Great Plains. Not many are left in North Carolina, and efforts to protect them have created controversy.
Plovers often share waterside habitat with sandpipers. They have sandpiper-type legs but much shorter, stubbier bills. The Piping Plover has a sandy-colored back, a black band across the forehead, another around the base of the neck and yellow-orange legs. It is named for its whistling call. Wilson's and Semipalmated Plovers are about the same size but have bolder neck bands. The double-banded Killdeer also is a plover and a common resident of the Triad.
Piping Plovers breed along the Atlantic Coast from Newfoundland to North Carolina. During courtship, males perform aerial displays, sound their piping calls and stamp their feet. The nest is merely a scrape in the sand above the high-water line, perhaps near a rock or some grass but without any real shelter. Both parents incubate usually three or four eggs for about 28 days.
Fewer breeding pairs
"Cotton balls with legs" is how the chicks sometimes are described," according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fact sheet. Young chicks forage with their parents for worms, insects and small crustaceans. They sit still when threatened, while the parents may try a "broken-wing" routine to distract the intruders. The chicks remain flightless for about a month and may not get airborne until late August. By mid-September, old and young depart for winter grounds, which extend from the Outer Banks to the West Indies.
Fewer than 2,000 breeding pairs remain along the Atlantic seaboard. At Cape Hatteras National Seashore, numbers are down 57 percent since 1999, with only six nesting pairs in 2007. The Atlantic population is listed as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. Numbers for other beach-nesting birds, like terns, Black Skimmers and American Oystercatchers, also have declined substantially.
The unsheltered habitat leaves eggs and chicks exposed to storm tides and such natural predators as gulls. Additional predators, such as raccoons, foxes, skunks and feral cats, have followed humans into beach areas. Most significantly, however, commercial and residential beach development has decreased suitable habitat, while pet dogs, vehicles and foot traffic may interrupt the nesting process or accidentally destroy the nests or young birds.
When you go to the beach, help nesting birds and turtles by respecting areas that are fenced, roped off or posted for their protection. Do not approach or linger near the birds or their nests, keep pets leashed, and don't leave your trash on the beach to attract predators. Finally, teach others that these creatures are an important part of the ecosystem and signs of a natural, healthy beach.
This year, the National Park Service expanded restrictions on vehicles and pedestrians during nesting season at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, including a total ban on off-road vehicles between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The restrictions were imposed on an interim basis after a court settlement by several conservation organizations and the park service, which ultimately must develop permanent rules. An alliance of local off-road-vehicle and fishing groups also signed on to the agreement.
Driving on Hatteras beaches has been popular for decades. Fishermen drive to favorite spots at Oregon Inlet, Cape Point and Ocracoke. Bathers and, yes, birders also drive along the beaches to enjoy the sand, surf and wildlife. Consequently, some recreational drivers and local businesses voice strong opposition to the beach closings. Wildlife seems to like the reduced traffic, though. This summer, there were five more Piping Plover nests, and seven chicks fledged. There were 23 oystercatcher nests and a record 112 turtle nests.
At Cape Hatteras, the park service must reconcile dual missions to conserve natural resources and to ensure appropriate public use and enjoyment of the beaches. The intent is not to ban human access totally or permanently. Rather, the goals are to find an appropriate balance and preserve this complex ecosystem for future generations. Read more about Piping Plovers and the off-road-vehicle rules at www.nps.gov/caha and www.southernenvironment.org.
■ Bird's-Eye View is a joint column by Ron Morris and Phil Dickinson. Today's column was written by Dickinson. Dickinson is a legal writer. He has been an active birder for 15 years, and is a past president of the Audubon Society of Forsyth County and chairs the conservation committee. Morris retired after 24 years as curator at the N.C. Zoo. He has studied birds around the world and is currently the vice president of the Audubon Society of Forsyth County. If you have a birding question or story idea, write to Bird's-Eye View in care of Features, Winston-Salem Journal, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101-3159, or send an e-mail to birding@wsjournal.com. Please type "birds" in the subject line.
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