Tag Archives: Plover migration

Just Me and My Shadow

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Happy Bday to our 45-day-old Piping Plover fledgling! He/she is the last of the Good Harbor Beach flyers. The photo/video was taken on Thursday when the little one was 42 days, or six weeks old. This is the age when we typically see them head out for their southbound migration. He’s still here as of Saturday but we are hoping to not see him any day now 🙂

I am very sorry to share that the rescue Plover did not survive. Tufts wrote that the chick had multiple chronic healed fractures and that the wing was held in a permanently drooped position. He would never be able to fly.  I was at first feeling extremely low about this but both our partners at Audubon and Lis from DCR wrote that if left on the beach its demise would have been very traumatic and, if not eaten by a predator, would slowly starve to death.

Thank you so very much to everyone who wrote with well-wishes for the injured Plover.

Plover Rescue!

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Our Plover partners at Audubon received a call over the weekend that there was a Piping Plover at Coffins Beach with a broken wing. Plover Ambassador Deborah B located the Plover yesterday afternoon and Charlotte and I headed over to Coffins.  Sure enough, its left wing was dragging on the ground but it appeared otherwise in good shape, foraging and running the length of the beach.  It also seemed very bonded with another Plover, possibly a sibling.

Through Carolyn Mostello, the Massachusetts Coastal Waterbird Biologist with Mass Wildlife, we received clearance to rescue the Plover. Because Plovers are listed as a threatened species there are specific protocols that must be followed before handling the bird. Next we needed to get the go ahead from Tufts Wildlife Clinic that they could at this time accept the Plover.

After the all clear, Lis Kernan , Mass DCR Shorebird Recovery Program Coordinator, and I met at Coffins. We quickly found the Plover. Lis had brought two nets and she expertly guided me on how we could safely steer the bird into the nets. She was soooo fast and in no time, the bird was safely tucked into a waiting cardboard box outfitted with a soft towel, as was recommended by local wildlife rehabber Jodi Swenson from Cape Ann Inc..

As I was driving the little one to Tufts Wildlife Clinic in Grafton he/she began piping. It wasn’t the sharply piercing warning call Plovers make when stressed but the gentle sing-song piping that we hear when they are communicating with one another. I think it was calling to see if there were other Plovers in the vicinity. I responded (with words, not piping) and we seemed to have a back and forth conversation but then I wanted it to conserve its energy and stop piping. I tried singing lullabies to see if that would soothe its little soul, but he kept piping all along until the car stopped.

A very kind staff member, Patrick, was waiting at the clinic. He provided us with a case number so that we can check in periodically. If all goes well, it should take about three weeks for the broken wing to heal and then several more weeks to learn how to fly. I am afraid it will miss peak migration and see a road trip to North Carolina in our future 🙂

As Jamie from Audubon mentioned, today was a great example of cross-organization collaboration to help an injured creature.

Above photos courtesy Lis Kernan

Piping Plover September Update

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Dear PiPl Friends,

Our youngest fledgling has resurfaced at Good Harbor Beach! He/she had not been since the morning of the fierce hail and rain storm but there she was in the soft sand today, preening and sleeping alongside a mini flock of Semipalmated Plovers. Will they migrate south  together? Piping Plovers are reportedly solitary but are often seen during the non-breeding months foraging in mixed groups of Semipalmated Plovers, Sanderlings, and Dunlins. Several years ago, during their southward migration, I saw a flock of a dozen Piping Plovers tucked in with several hundred Semipalmated Plovers, all resting on the upper part of the beach.

39 day old Piping Plover fledgling with Semipalmated Plovers

Semipalmated Plover range map – orange = breeding, yellow = migration, blue = wintering grounds

You can see from the map that the range of Semipalmated Plovers is vast when compared to Piping Plovers. They nest in subarctic and arctic environments and that is why we do not see them nesting at our local beaches. August is the peak time of year for the Semipalmated Plover’s southbound migration and we have seen many at Good Harbor Beach over the past month. Partners in Flight estimates the global population to be about 200,000 while the Piping Plover population as of 2020 was only about 8,000 adults.

Semipalmated Plovers are often mistaken by beachgoers for Piping Plovers.  During the southward migration, their feathers are faded and worn, which only increases confusion.

Semipalmated Plovers are called as such because only their two outer toes are webbed, ie. semi. The photos show the webbed tracks and the partial webbing of the toes.

From Life Traces of a Georgia Coast

Birds of the World

Piping Plover tracks

Enjoy this beautiful Labor Day,
xxKim

Thank You Plover Friends!

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Dear PiPl Friends,

Thank you to all our Piping Plover ambassadors, volunteers, shorebird organizations, film donors, and well-wishers. Your kind support over the years for both our volunteer program and film project is so very greatly appreciated.

We have many people and conservation organizations to be thankful for, especially here in Massachusetts, where we are at the forefront of Piping Plover recovery. Organizations such as Mass Audubon’s Coastal Waterbird Program, Mass Wildlife, Trustees of Reservations, and Essex County Greenbelt Association have created stellar programs to help protect , monitor, and engage in our communities. Nationwide, Piping Plovers were once on the brink of extinction. In 1986, there were fewer than 200 pairs breeding in Massachusetts. Preliminary data from MassWildlife reports that there were 1,196 nesting pairs in 2024, a whopping 500 percent increase from 1986. PiPl recovery is not as bright in other regions as it is in Massachusetts. Plovers are counting on Massachusetts peoples and programs!

We have new and expanded Plover projects and programs planned for the coming year and more good news to share for our forthcoming documentary. If you are interested in becoming a Piping Plover Ambassador, please leave a comment or email me at kimsmithdesigns@hotmail.com.

Wishing us all peace and joy and more conservation success stories in the coming New Year!

Warmest wishes,

Kim

Migrating Piping Plover “Elwood” News – Delaware to Florida Express!

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Piping Plover first-hatch-year Elwood, who was banded as a tiny baby in Delaware this past spring, was recently photographed in Jacksonville, Florida! Photographed by Jacksonville resident Brett Moyer, Elwood was spotted foraging at the tidal flats of Huguenot Memorial Park. Sightings of birds making their first year migration are particularly rare.

PiPls are listed as endangered in Delaware. Historically, they typically nest at Cape Henlopen State Park but since 2016, PiPls been breeding in increasing numbers at Fowler Beach in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, according to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources.