Tag Archives: Good harbor Beach Piping Plover article

THANK YOU TAYLOR ANN BRADFORD AND THE GLOUCESTER TIMES FOR THE GREAT STORY ABOUT OUR GHB PIPLS! AND HAPPY FOUR WEEKS OLD MARSHMALLOW!

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Good Morning PiPl Friends and Ambassadors,

As I was leaving, Heidi and I crossed paths on the footbridge. What a joy to be replaced each day by Heidi and have a moment of good conversation, something I am sure many of us are not getting enough of during the pandemic.

The raker had not yet come but Dad and Marshmallow were peacefully foraging down at the Creek. More bathing, preening, floofing, and flippy floppy flying thing, with only the Killdeers causing Dad to leave his post.

Taylor Ann Bradford from the Gloucester Times wrote a very thoughtful article about our PiPls – here is the link: https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/local_news/piping-plovers-are-back/article_bf6d8ab4-da1b-59ce-b3c2-2bb8ca6ccf50.html I think she is doing a fantastic job at the Times and it was a pleasure to speak with her!

Terrific quote from Jennie, thank you Jennie so much for keeping it positive <3

Here is the link to Marshmallow taking a bath yesterday- https://kimsmithdesigns.com/2020/07/19/marshmallow-takes-a-bath/

A heartfelt thank you to all our Ambassadors, Mayor Sefatia, Dave Rimmer from Greenbelt, Councilor Memhard, PiPl Friends, City Council, GDP, GPD, and all who are lending a hand and good wishes for Marshmallow reaching the tremendous milestone of 28 days, tremendous in the way that, thanks to you all, he is getting off to an excellent start, despite growing up in our most highly trafficked and wildly popular City beach. Only (roughly) two more weeks to go <3

Have a great day!
xxKimMarshmallow preening after bathing

MARSHMALLOW TAKES A BATH!

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Marshmallow takes a dip on a warm summer morning!

Piping Plovers take baths daily, starting from a very early age. It’s nearly always the same, no matter the age. The only difference really is younger chicks will splash around more. Twenty-seven-days-old Marshmallow takes a bath now much the same way as does Dad, quickly and efficiently.

Adults and older chicks will first eye-ball the area, while cautiously considering whether or not it’s safe to immerse in water. Small birds especially are vulnerable to predator attacks when their feathers are wet.

Plover bathing entails a thorough dunking, from tip to toe, ending with a leap from the water, with wings spread wide and tail feathers shaking, to dry off droplets. Bath time is followed by floofing, poofing, preening, and head scratching. And then, generally speaking, a return to the most important business of all, foraging to not only grow strong and develop well, but to build up their fat reserves for the long migration south.

SUNDAY MORNING PIPING PLOVER FAMILY UPDATE

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Good Morning PiPl friends and Ambassadors –

Thank you Heidi for the morning update. And aren’t we so blessed for yesterday and the actions Mayor Sefatia has taken. Praying for a second day of relative calm at GHB today. See post here – Mayor Sefatia Restores Peace and Order to Gloucester Beaches

Thank you so very much Friends for all you are doing to help our GHB PiPls. If you cannot make your shift or need to shorten it, thank you for trying to switch, but if not covered, try not to worry. The next Ambassador will be along and it seemed positively calm at the Creek yesterday. I hope they stay there all day but the tide was high last night and they may come back to the main beach during high tide, at 11:07am today. Many, many beachgoers were already being dropped off at the footbridge when I left at 7:30 this morning, so perhaps the worst of it will be before noon, which would be a good thing.

Hoping to post footage of Marshmallow taking a bath from today, if I can find the time.
Have a great day – so gorgeous out!!
xxKim

Funny things PiPls do – photo of Dad floofing

MARSHMALLOW ATE A BUTTERFLY THIS MORNING!

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Good Morning PiPl Friends and Ambassadors!

Beautiful, tranquil early morning at Good Harbor Beach. I found the pair at the Creek, foraging and preening. Dad was in his usual super dad mode, chasing Killdeers, as well as some unseen-to-my-eyes imaginary beings.

Dad preening from tip to tail feather

Heidi and I had to laugh as we watched Marshmallow chase, and then capture and eat, a white butterfly, actually a moth I think.

Marshmallow eating a moth

Hopefully all the good work Mayor Sefatia and her administration have endeavored to do this past week will help keep the crowds down to a manageable size this weekend.

Will write more tomorrow, working on several stories to share. Thank you one again PiPl Ambassadors for your great gifts of time and kindness in helping our Good Harbor Piping Plovers survive Gloucester’s busiest of beaches.

xxKim

Marshmallow taking a cue from Dad on excellent feather maintenance

 

PIPING PLOVER VIDEO FUNNY FLIPPY FLOPPY FLY THING

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WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO LEAVE THE PROTECTED AREA IN PLACE AT GOOD HARBOR BEACH UNTIL THE CHICK HAS FULLY FLEDGED AND THE BIRDS DEPARTED?

Good Morning PiPl Friends and Ambassadors!

Dad and Marshmallow made a round about trip to the Creek just before the storm started at about 6:45. That’s it, nothing more to report from this cold rainy morning 🙂

Why is it so critical to leave the protected area in place for the full length of time the PiPls spend at Good Harbor Beach? The following video was shot in the early evening and is a chick from one of the other Piping Plover families that I am documenting. The chick in the clip is 39 days old. To avoid confusion, I have to repeat that this is NOT Marshmallow, but an entirely different chick. Actually, he/she is a near fledgling at 39 days old. Our Marshmallow is only 24 days old.

I would like folks to see in slower motion the funny flippy floppy fly thing all chicks and fledglings do, but the footage also serves the purpose of highlighting how vitally important it is to keep sheltering areas in place at the beach for as long as the Plovers are present.

You can see in the video that it takes several moments for the youngster to alight. While becoming proficient at flying, chicks are still very vulnerable to predator attacks from gulls, crows, owls, hawks, herons, dogs, coyotes, and foxes. Symbolically roped off areas continue to provide shelter and safety to Piping Plover adults and fledglings alike, even after the chicks have reached their so-called official fledge date. Not all chicks mature at precisely the same rate over precisely the same number of days. Their weight, development, and flying ability depend largely on how rich, plentiful, and accessible is their food source.

Have a great day 🙂

xxKim

Piping Plover 39 days old, Not Marshmallow

PIPING PLOVER CHONICLES CONTINUES!

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Good Morning PiPl Friends!

Thermo-snuggling for the better part of the early morning and all was quiet. Dad suddenly began piping loudly, jumped up, and flew from Marshmallow. I was busy watching Marshmallow when out of nowhere, our GHB Red Fox trotted through the backside of home base, mere feet from where they had been snuggling, with Dad hot on the Fox’s heels!

At this point in Marshmallow’s life, I don’t think the Red Fox poses a tremendous threat, but they are a threat nonetheless. Anything canid, whether dog, fox, or coyote may step inadvertently on a young chick when they are hunkered down in place and are not yet fully fledged. Additionally, Red Fox dig and hunt shorebird eggs. A Piping Plover cannot tell the difference between a Red Fox and a domestic dog. Dogs have been allowed by their owners to chase after shorebirds for sport, which is another reason the PiPls find the Fox so threatening.

Shortly after the Fox sighting, the pair headed to the Creek where lots of yummy invertebrates were had, including a mini mollusk that you can see the tail end of in Marshmallow’s mouth, and sea worms, fat and thin. Heidi came along soon after. I think the birds Heidi remarked on are the Killdeer family; they were there earlier at the Creek until Dad had chased them off the scene to clear the way for his Marshmallow 🙂Added note about the Red Fox family – The Red Foxes we see currently at Good Harbor Beach are almost always carrying fresh prey in their mouths, small mammals such as rabbits and squirrels, for example, and I don’t think they are going to drop an adult rabbit to chase after a Piping Plover. The Foxes are now crisscrossing the beach several times a day with their mouths full on the return trip, which leads me to believe, the kits have not yet dispersed and Mom and Dad Fox have their paws full supplying the rapidly growing youngsters with nourishment.

The Red Fox diet also includes fresh fruit and berries. If you have a Mulberry tree ripe with fruit you may currently be seeing them in your backyard. I am looking forward to when our neighbor’s apples begin falling from her tree and hope so much our neighborhood Red Fox finds the fallen apple feast.

Heads up – very buggy at the Creek this morning. Hardly any trash today, and isn’t that great news that Mayor Sefatia has closed the beach to nonresidents!

Have a super day!

xxKim

Morning wing stretches!

MARSHMALLOW AND DAD THERMO-SNUGGLING

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Good afternoon PiPl Ambassadors,

As Bette, Jane, and Jennie have shared, the beach was very quiet this morning and activity was low.

I love Jonathan’s new term for thermoregulating –  “thermo-snuggling.” It more aptly describes their behavior, and that is all Marshmallow wanted to do this morning!  I wish the footage was more exciting but the temperature was in the low 60s and it was drizzling when Heidi came along at 7:00. Marshmallow ran out of the roped off area several times but returned just as quickly as there were several gulls and a crow getting too close for Dad’s comfort.

Taylor Ann Bradford from the Gloucester Times phoned this morning and I shared with her your names. You may have already received an email from her.

The following is a link to a post that I wrote addressing the overcrowding at GHB.  The last paragraph is about the PiPls. I have read on several social media sites that the PiPls are taking a bad rap for overcrowding at GHB, which, when you look at the pandemonium on the side streets and understaffed, overstuffed parking lot, even suggesting the PiPls are to blame is more than ridiculous.

https://kimsmithdesigns.com/2020/07/15/pandemic-pandemonium-at-cape-ann-beaches/

Video footage of Marshmallow from this morning –

Have a great day!

xxKim

HAPPY THREE WEEKS OLD LITTLE MARSHMALLOW!

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Good Morning PiPl Ambassadors!

Dad and Marshmallow were so peaceful and well-camouflaged that I didn’t see them for nearly the first hour, which gave me a chance to tidy up the beach. I was just about ready to check on the Creek when they both came scooting across the center of the protected area, heading to the water’s edge.

Three weeks marks a tremendous milestone. Thank you Everyone for your dedication during this craziest of busy beach weekends. Thank you for staying long, long extra hours and keeping your eyes on our PiPl family. Little Marshmallow is growing visibly plumper and stronger by the day, thanks largely to our group’s collective effort to keep him safe and protected, especially while he is foraging at the Creek, his most important job.

Today was Heidi Wakeman’s first morning and within her first five minutes, Marshmallow flew across the sand about a six or seven foot distance, about four or five inches off the ground. This wasn’t a funny flutter-hop, but a true little test run. So exciting to see these first flights!!!

Thunderstorms predicted later today, so please don’t stay if it happens on your shift.

Thank you!
xxKimGood Harbor Beach during coronavirus pandemic July 12, 2020

DAD AND MARSHMALLOW SURVIVE AN EXTRAORDINARILY PACKED GOOD HARBOR BEACH!

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Good Morning Piping Plover Ambassadors,

Dad and Marshmallow live another day in their struggle for survival! This morning’s shift was happily uneventful. I found Dad and the Little One within the protected area at the main beach and after a long stretch of thermoregulating and before moving onto the Creek, Marshmallow did his beautiful crazy pre-flight flutter-hop dance. He’ll be flying brief distances at low altitude well before the upcoming week is out.

Lift-off! Piping Plover chick 20 days old

Yesterday was a tough one. As the day marched on, the tide rose higher and higher, and beach visitors kept pouring in. The duo never returned to home base at the main beach but instead spent the day-into-evening on a teeny, tiny bit of dry sand at nearly the furthest most point at the Creek, before the bend.

Piping Plover Chick 20 days old

I stopped by late in the afternoon to see how Jonathan and Sally were faring. They had their eyes keenly peeled on Dad, who was perched on a bare little mound of sand. Dad was keeping his eyes peeled on potential threats. Sally and Jonathan kindly shared their binoculars with all who were interested in learning more about the Plovers, young and old alike.

It was surprising to see the parking lot still completely full at 5:30 and folks still pouring in. Disputes over parking erupted as people tried to wait for others to leave. People were entering in droves across the footbridge as well. All this happening during the early evening, when in a  typical year, people are leaving the beach at about this time of day.

A question arose yesterday about why we are cleaning the beach. The DPW and all the beach maintenance guys do a TREMENDOUS JOB. We are only cleaning near and around the PiPl area so that the beach rake does not have too come close to the roped off area.

Today the weather is going to be beautiful, which means a super crowded beach. Please call,  text, or email if you need anything. Thank you all for your valiant efforts on behalf of our GHB PiPls!

xxKim

Jonathan and Sally’s daughter Libby and friend, Jonathan’s Photo

PIPING PLOVER HARASSMENT BY YOUTHS, BEACH RAKING, AND BEACH PARTYGOERS

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Good Morning PiPl Ambassadors!

A pea soup foggy morning and Marshmallow was snuggling with Dad within the protected area when I arrived, where they stayed for quite some time.

I filled two trash bags, mostly with empty beer bottles and cans etc., many within the roped off area. So disappointed to see people partying inside the roping. I left briefly to run home to pick up 2 more trash bags and when I arrived the beach raker was driving alongside the roping, going the length of the beach. I spoke with him, but hope so much for next year the City will be amenable to creating a much safer raking plan and the lines of communication will include all rakers. The rakers have their hands full, the beach was an absolute pigpen this morning, and I am in no way criticizing the hard work they do everyday. We just need much better communication I think between all parties.

Two more of the large sized heavy duty trash bags were filled to the brim. That is four bags  too many, from one very small section of the beach.

I couldn’t find the pair within the enclosure when I arrived the second time, but after a bit, did find Dad and Marshmallow down at the Creek. I left just before 8 and didn’t see my replacement but know they are fairly safe at the Creek at this hour of the day.

I understand from several monitors that during their afternoon shifts there have been incidences this past week with a group of middle school age boys seriously harassing, and possibly even intentionally trying to harm Dad and the Chick. After insuring the two are safe, it is absolutely imperative that we call the Gloucester Police main number at 978-283-1212 (please put this number in favorites or speed dial on your phone, if you have not already done so) and speak with an officer so that at the very least, a report is filed. Even if the boys have skedaddled, it is so important to let the police know what is happening and that there is a record of the incident. The City does not want to loose a PiPl by harassment, that would be considered a “take’ by the endangered species laws and we would receive a very substantial fine, possibly in the tens of thousands of dollars.

If you do see a person harming the PiPls, please stay with the bird and please call me immediately. We will get medical attention to the PiPl asap. Please also take as much photographic evidence as possible. We can not touch an injured bird, but we can phone my friend who in the past has been allowed to handle endangered and threatened wildlife. This is a worst case scenario I know, but as the harassment has been going on for several days we need to talk about this.

It’s going to be a super busy beautiful weekend. Please call if you need help in anyway. Thank you for all you are doing to help our GHB PiPls thrive!

xxKim

 

LINK TO SUE WINSLOW’S ARTICLE FOR NORTHSHORE MAGAZINE ABOUT OUR GHB PIPING PLOVERS!

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Good Morning Piping Plover Ambassadors!

When I left at 7:45, all was well with Marshmallow and Dad. Please forgive the brevity of this note; it is our granddaughter’s birthday today and family calls.

Here is the link to PiPl Ambassador Sue Winslow’s thoughtful and beautifully written article for North Shore Magazine. Sue has been an ambassador for several years and is also a Good Harbor Beach homeowner. Our deepest thanks and appreciation go to Sue for not only writing the article and sharing about our PiPls, but for her generous gift to Greenbelt, which was her entire writing fee.

Ambassador Group Works to Protect Gloucester’s Endangered Piping Plovers

Thank you again everyone for your good eyes, your kindness and devotion, and also for your field notes.
xxKim