Tag Archives: Bay of Somme

Piping Plovers Coming to France! Les pluviers siffleurs de Moonlight Bay

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Our Piping Plovers are crossing the Atlantic Ocean! The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay will be featured at the splendid Festival de l’Oiseau et de la Nature on April 18th and 19th.

This annual festival takes place at the Bay of Somme and is not only a film festival but a magnificent celebration of the natural world. There are over 400 guided walks, photo and art exhibits, screenings of the best nature documentaries, activities dedicated to children such as workshops and shows, debates, and conferences.

Our documentary has been translated into French for the exhibition and the festival organizers have created a new trailer, also in French, which you can watch here: https://www.festival-oiseau-nature.com/film/les-pluviers-siffleurs-de-moonlight-bay/

Les pluviers siffleurs de Moonlight Bay

Un film de KIM SMITH 

Ce documentaire raconte l’histoire de pluviers siffleurs, des petits oiseaux menacés. Ses héros sont un couple courageux et leurs turbulents petits.

Elever des poussins de la taille d’un marshmallow sur une plage urbaine très prisée n’est pas de tout repos et la famille doit faire face à de nombreux obstacles. Les pluviers siffleurs sont des indicateurs qui montrent comment humains et faune peuvent cohabiter, en particulier dans le cadre de la réduction de leur habitat. Ces oiseaux très résilients sont bien adaptés à la vie sur la plage, cependant, sans mesures de protection adéquates, ils ne pourront résister à la pression causée par les humains et les prédateurs.

Google Translate

This documentary tells the story of piping plovers, endangered little birds. Its protagonists are a courageous couple and their boisterous young.

Raising marshmallow-sized chicks on a popular urban beach is no easy task, and the family faces many obstacles. Piping Plovers are indicators of how humans and wildlife can coexist, especially in the face of shrinking habitats. These highly resilient birds are well adapted to beach life; however, without adequate protection measures, they will be unable to withstand the pressures caused by humans and predators.

Festival de l’Oiseau et de la Nature and other good news!

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Dear PiPl Friends,

I hope all is going well with your holiday making. I am grateful for the return of warm weather even if it is only going to last a few days, not only for the sunshine but also because our visiting Wood Duck has also been spotted basking in the warmth.

I have excellent news to share. The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay has been accepted to the Festival de l’Oiseau et de la Nature! It is the largest nature festival in France and takes place over a nine day period at the Bay of Somme. Located in the North of France, the Bay of Somme is an internationally recognized migratory site. For the past 33 years, in celebration of spring migration, the Festival has offered documentary screenings, activities for children, lectures, courses, and photo and art exhibits. This is a festival we were really, really hoping to be accepted to and I am over the Moon. We also recently received Best in Festival at the Nature Without Borders Film Festival and Outstanding Excellence at their sister festival, Documentaries Without Borders. It’s been a very exciting last couple of weeks.

Many readers who receive this newsletter have already contributed to the first phase of fundraising, to bring our documentary to festivals, and we are beyond grateful. We are now in the second round of fundraising, to bring the film to public television.  A bunch of PiPl friends have mentioned they would like to contribute to this second round by year’s end. We are so appreciative of all the generous donations given to date and this is just a gentle reminder. If you are planning to contribute, or if I can answer any questions, please let me know. Again, all contributions, both through our online fundraiser and larger contributions, are tax deductible as we work with our 501c3 fiscal sponsor, Filmmakers Collaborative.

On a much less positive note, here is a link to a recent story that I wrote about the parasitic disease mange, the connection between the disease and rodenticides, and how rat poison is impacting both mammals and raptors. I shared photos of a local Coyote suffering from an advanced stage of mange, so don’t click on this link if you are feeling at all low.

Perhaps the most positive news of the month is that the Monarch may soon be listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Many organizations and individuals have worked tirelessly to bring this proposed listing about. USFWS is seeking public input on the Monarch’s ESA listing over a 90 day period, from December 12th through March 12th. If you would like to comment, please follow this link.

The photo below is of a Monarch and Seaside Goldenrod and was taken at the beautiful Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences this past October.

Happy Holidays and holiday-making!
Warmest wishes,
xxKim
Isn’t this bird just beyond exquisite?! The Pied Avocet. It returns each spring to the Bay of Somme to breed. I read that after mating, a pair will cross their bills as part of the bonding ritual, and you can see how absolutely adorable are the chicks. Composite image and chick photo courtesy wikicommons media.