Piping plovers want people to get off their lawn

Date:  July 4, 2018

Source:  American Ornithological Society Publications Office

Summary:

A new study in The Condor: Ornithological Applications presents negative associations between anthropogenic disturbance (human recreational use of beaches, coastal modifications) and Piping Plovers on their non-breeding grounds. Shorebirds are one of the most threatened bird families in the world. Numerous studies have shown the negative impacts of humans on these birds, whether it be large-scale (e.g., habitat loss, climate change) or small-scale (e.g., ATV use, running with pets, flying kites). This research indicates that there are direct consequences of disturbance. Most Piping Plover research has focused on the breeding season in an attempt to directly influence population numbers, however this study argues that efforts are required throughout the year in all locations to assist Piping Plover conservation.

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Nor'easter Beach Erosion Threatening Nesting of Rare Bird

By Perry Russom

Published at 8:09 PM EDT on Mar 28, 2018

The dunes at the beaches of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge have been battered causing concern as piping plovers migrate to the sand for the summer.

(Published Wednesday, March 28, 2018)

The nor'easters that have battered Plum Island have done more than damage homes and leave debris in the roads.

The dunes at the beaches of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge have been battered causing concern as piping plovers migrate to the sand for the summer.

"I expect the plover population to be down at Parker River for the next year or two," said Bill Peterson, refuge manager.

Plovers have been labled as a "threatened" species since 1986 and Plum Island is where they mate to grow the population.

The storms have narrowed their habit creating cliffs along the water.

That gives them fewer places to nest and hide when predators go after their young.

"It's disappointing," said Peterson. "I love to see the plover numbers increase every year, but this is a natural part of that process."

Read more 

Protecting piping plovers

Date:  January 23, 2018

Source:  Michigan State University

Summary:

Visitors to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore are often treated to tiny scurrying beachcombers -- piping plovers. Future visitors, however, could see fewer of these celebrated shorebirds. A new study reveals that the endangered shorebird population could decline over the next 10 years and changes in management strategies are needed. The authors demonstrate that current counting methods may not accurately predict future plover populations without considering a growing predator population.

Read on  

Jones Beach feral cats endangering plovers, group says

Updated March 31, 2016 10:50 PM

By Jennifer Barrios  

American Bird Conservancy has filed suit against New York State

Felines increase ‘likelihood of nest failure,’ conservation group contends

A bird-conservation group filed a federal suit Thursday, claiming New York has violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing feral cats to live at Jones Beach, where they threaten endangered shorebirds.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District by the American Bird Conservancy, names Rose Harvey, commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and alleges that the state has allowed local residents to create and maintain structures at Jones Beach State Park to house feral cats, despite the presence of nesting piping plovers — a tiny shorebird that is listed as an endangered species in New York and a threatened species federally.

The presence of cats “likely results in a significant reduction in the feeding of nesting chicks and an increased likelihood of nest failure by an order of magnitude,” the suit reads.

The suit claims that “at least two feral cat colonies” exist at Jones Beach — near the West Bathhouse and at Field 10 — and that the cats have been seen on the beach near the birds’ nesting areas.

While the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit says the state in a letter last year acknowledged both the presence of the cats and the possibility of their presence harming the piping plovers, “the parks office has taken no effective action to remove the cats.”

“The park has placed ‘no pets’ signs at its parking lots, yet allows cats to be fed in the same areas,” Mike Parr, the group’s chief conservation officer, said in a statement. “It makes no sense to prevent one but allow the other.”

A state parks spokesman on Thursday said the department could not comment on pending litigation.

There were 30 feral cats living at Jones Beach in 2006, the parks department has said previously.

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Researchers hope for continued presence of piping plover on Lake Ontario after historic return

By GBLOCK@WDT.NET'>GORDON BLOCK

PUBLISHED: MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2016 AT 12:30 AM

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

On July 1, three piping plovers stand on the beach along Lake Ontario in Oswego County. A pair of piping plovers successfully nested on Lake Ontario’s shoreline for the first time in more than 30 years.

After three decades away, piping plovers made their return to Lake Ontario this past summer.

Now, researchers hope the shore birds’ progress in the region can continue.

James F. Faquhar, regional wildlife manager for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said the key was the health of the Great Lakes and of beach areas where they reside.

“Conditions are likely better now than they have been before,” he said. “When you can provide an inviting environment, species will find it and they’ll come.”

Three adult plovers were spotted over the summer on New York’s Ontario shore, including a breeding pair in Jefferson County that hatched two chicks. One chick survived to migrate south in August.

“It bodes well that the birds came here,” Mr. Faquhar said. “They’re viewing this area now as a good place to nest again.”

The discovery of the shore bird was a collaboration between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state agencies and regional conservation groups.

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Prediction model created to protect piping plovers

Date:

July 28, 2015

Source:

Virginia Tech

Summary:

A model to help land managers protect the threatened piping plover, a tiny shorebird, against habitat damage and predation has been created by a scientist. The bird's neighborhood preference has resulted in this once common shorebird being on the federal threatened species list since 1986.

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RARE BIRD SPECIES: Beach Closures to Protect Rare Birds

VPG | Apr 05, 2014 | Comments 0

LAMAR, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are asking visitors to John Martin, Adobe Creek and Nee Gronda Reservoirs for help in protecting two rare shorebirds that nest in Colorado.

As in previous years, parks and wildlife managers will be closing access to some shoreline areas to protect the nests of least terns and piping plovers. The closures, which may be several acres in size, will run from early April through mid-August.

“These are little birds that are really good at blending into sandy shorelines,” explained Mike Smith, Conservation Biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife in the Lamar area. “We’ll have volunteers and staff biologists marking off the nesting areas, but we also ask visitors to be on the lookout for their hard-to-see nest scrapes and eggs.”

The least tern is a small, swallow-like bird with black outer wing feathers that is sometimes seen diving head-first into the water after fish. The smallest of the North American terns, it can be identified by its distinctive black crown, white forehead and black-tipped yellow bill. Both Colorado and the federal government have designated the least tern as an endangered species.

The piping plover is a tiny shorebird with pale brown plumage and a black bar across the forehead. Piping plovers typically nest on sandy lakeshore beaches or on river sandbars that are free of vegetation, relying on their cryptic coloration as camouflage from predators. The piping plover is listed as a threatened species by the state of Colorado and under the federal Endangered Species Act.

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Conservation officials: Let plovers nest in peace

Updated 12:02 am, Monday, April 1, 2013

BOSTON (AP) — State conservation officials are asking beachgoers to not disturb piping plover nests as the rare birds return to Massachusetts this spring.

The shorebirds come back to Massachusetts' coastal beaches to nest and raise their young.

Experts say visitors should avoid marked areas where the birds nest. They also say to watch out for plover eggs and chicks, which can blend in with the sand and be vulnerable to people and pets.

Atlantic Coast piping plovers were listed as threatened by the federal government in 1986.

Government officials say that means the birds would become endangered and face possible extinction without Endangered Species

During spring and summer, the small, stocky birds nest from Newfoundland south to North Carolina.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Conservation-officials-Let-plovers-nest-in-peace-4399025.php#ixzz2PatVHHBmAct protection.

NY's Fire Island debris effort faces bird deadline

One special visitor's planned arrival to Fire Island is creating a pressing deadline for the cleanup of tons of rotting wood, sheet rock, old refrigerators and other Superstorm Sandy debris from the popular vacation destination east of New York City.

Contractor crews are scrambling to get the trash removed by the end of March, before truck access is severely restricted to protect the nesting areas of the endangered bird species known as the piping plover.

"The deadline has everyone's attention," said Suzy Goldhirsch, president of the Fire Island Association, which represents businesses and homeowners on the 32-mile-long barrier island south of Long Island.

She said most homeowners do not begrudge laws protecting the plover, a compact, pale shorebird with coloring that makes it all but vanish against the open sand flats where it nests.

But if officials can't get the cleanup done by the deadline, they will have to haul away the estimated 82,500 cubic yards of trash by barge, which will be much more expensive and take longer.

That could push the cleanup closer to the Memorial Day-to-Labor Day tourist season, when the population of Fire Island swells from 300 to 75,000.

Access to the beachfront by vehicle will be banned until after September, according to environmentalists.

Continued:  http://online.wsj.com/article/APe0174a435be94284aa9d750e676bc009.html

Bird group says ND wind farm needs tougher review

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bird advocacy group says a proposed North Dakota wind farm should undergo a stricter environmental review of threats posed to the endangered whooping crane.

The Washington-based American Bird Conservancy said Friday that it was among 76 groups calling for the tougher review of the Merricourt Wind Power Project.

The group says the coalition is asking the federal Fish and Wildlife Service to prepare an environmental impact statement for the project instead of an abbreviated environmental assessment. The conservancy says the 100 turbine project is planned in a key migration route for many birds, including endangered whooping cranes and threatened piping plovers.

Project developer enXco had originally planned to sell the wind power to Xcel Energy, which dropped out in 2011 over potential harm to the two bird species.

http://newsok.com/bird-group-says-nd-wind-farm-needs-tougher-review/article/feed/498425