Protection for Piping Plovers at Cape Hatteras

Piping Plover chick / USFWS Photo

A long and bitter process has resulted in a new regulation governing off-road vehicle (ORV) use at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina. The purpose of the regulation is to protect the nests and young of Piping Plovers and other beach-nesting birds like terns and shorebirds.

The Park Service’s new rules allow ORV use on the majority of the seashore, with 28 of the seashore’s 67 miles of shoreline set aside as year-round ORV routes, and 13 miles seasonally open to ORVs. Only 26 of shoreline are designated as year-round vehicle-free areas for pedestrians, families, and wildlife. The plan also proposes new parking facilities, ORV ramps, and water shuttles to increase visitor access to beaches....

Beach-nesting birds and sea turtles reached alarming lows within the National Seashore under the old unmanaged beach-driving scenario, but showed signs of recovery after temporary rules were implemented in April 2008. No piping plover chicks survived to fledge (learn to fly) in 2002 and 2004, but 15 chicks fledged in 2010 and ten fledged in 2011. Only 44 sea turtle nests were recorded in 2004, but a record-breaking 153 sea turtle nests were recorded in 2010 and 147 in 2011.

The new rule was published in the Federal Register on January 20 and can be found at www.federalregister.gov. It designates ORV routes at the Seashore, establishing requirements to obtain a permit, and imposing date and time and other restrictions related to operation of ORVs, including vehicle and equipment standards.

New rules ordinarily go into effect no less than 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, however, the Park Service has found that good cause exists to truncate this period, and has brought the date forward to February 15. By this date, the public will have had 415 days’ notice of the decision (the Record of Decision was made available on December 28, 2010) that forms the basis of this rule, so further waiting would not appear to be necessary. Further, the shorebird breeding season at the Seashore begins in early March. The Park Service determined that implementation of the rule would be most effective if the designated ORV routes and ORV permit and education requirements were implemented, and signs reflecting the new requirements were installed, prior to the start of this year’s breeding season.

A permit will be required for each vehicle, with permit holders required to watch an instructional video. Permit fees have not been announced, but are expected to be set between $30 and $150 depending on the length of the permit.

It remains to be seen if this was what the plover population needed, but the early results look promising. Hopefully it will at least consolidate the gains made over the past few years while the temporary rules were in place.

Comments Needed for Cape Hatteras Management Plan

Via The Drinking Bird, I read that the National Park Service is seeking comments on its management plan for off-road vehicle (ORV) use in Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The plan is the result of a long, contentious process and seeks to balance recreational ORV use on Cape Hatteras with the needs of wildlife, particularly beach-nesting Piping Plovers. An interim plan restricting ORV use has been in place for several years, and during that time populations of beach-nesting shorebirds have rebounded (pdf) after a decade of decline.

Since there is vocal and persistent opposition to any restrictions on ORV use, it is important that birders and other recreational visitors to the seashore make their voices heard during the public comment period.. Comments do not need to be long; a short comment should be enough to let federal officials know that there is public support for wildlife protection. Nate suggests including two points:

1) I support a regulation to manage ORV use within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

2) The regulation should include science-based protections for wildlife and vehicle-free areas for wildlife and pedestrians.

Submit comments here by September 6.

Piping Plovers at Stone Harbor Point

Yesterday I saw my first Piping Plovers of the year at Stone Harbor Point, on a barrier island a little north of Cape May. I counted seven: two visible in the restricted area and then five more on the beach near the water. The first Piping Plovers were reported a week or two ago, and it appears their numbers have risen since then.

The plovers near the water were accompanied by hundreds of Dunlin and Sanderlings, but the plovers tended to keep their distance from the two sandpiper species and not mix with them in any significant way.

I checked each of the plovers as carefully as possible for any sign of bands or color markers on their legs, but I did not see any. Some Piping Plovers that winter in the Bahamas have been marked with colored plastic bands; if you happen to see one, report it following the directions at the link. One that was sighted by Andrew on Long Island last year and then re-sighted in the Bahamas; at least one Bahamas plover has already been reported this spring in Connecticut.

As a bonus, here are a couple of American Oystercatchers that were in the same area.

Color-marked Plovers Moving South

You may remember that last winter, I wrote about a research program studying the Piping Plover population that winters in the Bahamas. Bird banders caught 57 plovers and marked their legs with colored plastic bands so that the individual birds could be identified by sight – with spotting scopes, possibly binoculars, or cameras with telephoto lenses. This makes it easier birders and refuge staff to report the locations of the banded plovers as they migrate and breed.

Now that the plover breeding season is winding down and birds are starting to leave their breeding grounds, we can review the findings so far. During the breeding season, 38 of the 57 plovers were seen on their breeding grounds. Of those, 14 bred in Massachusetts; 10 in New York; 3 in Rhode Island; 2 each in New Jersey, Virgina, and New Brunswick; and 1 each in North Carolina, Maine, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Connecticut. One of the New Jersey plovers was first spotted in Montauk, Long Island, before it moved to Sandy Hook to breed. An additional plover was spotted in Florida but not resighted on its breeding grounds; this brings the total number of resighted birds to 39.

Shorebirds, including Piping Plovers, are already starting to make their way south. One of the Bahamas plovers was resighted at Portsmouth Island in North Carolina on July 13. This individual, a female, had been observed as it bred in Rhode Island and fledged four chicks, so she had a very successful breeding season. Others could turn up at any beach along the Atlantic coast, so all birders should watch for them.

If you happen to see any of these plovers, please report them to Cheri Gratto-Trevor,
cheri.gratto-trevor@ec.gc.ca! Here is a reminder of what to look for:

What do color bands of The Bahamas plovers look like? ... All have a black flag on the upper left leg. Each have a single white band on one of the lower legs, right or left. Each have two color bands (neither of which is a white band) on the lower leg opposite the leg with the single white band. Colors used were: red, orange, yellow, white, light green, dark green, dark blue, and black. No metal bands were placed on any of The Bahamas birds; nor were color bands placed on the upper right legs of the birds.

How should the color markers be reported? When you see a marked Piping Plover, immediately write down a detailed description of the bands and their location on the bird's legs (always using the bird's right and left). Make a note if you are unsure of the color or location of any of the bands or if you did not see all bands clearly. Please report incomplete sighting.

You can read more about the program and see an example of how to describe marked plovers at the link.

The two photos in this post were taken by David Jones in Massachusetts. You can find more of his Piping Plover photos and other work at his PBase website. Thanks also to Peter Doherty for forwarding updates about the project.

Update on the Bahamas Piping Plovers

Piping Plover at Little Talbot Island / Photo by Pat Leary

One of the color-marked Piping Plovers from Andros Island in the Bahamas has been resighted. The bird pictured above was captured and banded on February 17 on Andros Island. Pat and Doris Leary found it while birding at Little Talbot Island in Duval County, Florida, on March 12. This bird was the last plover to be marked and the first to be resighted. From Andros Island to Little Talbot Island is about 440 miles by air.

I did not see any plovers while I was at Sandy Hook last weekend, but I will be watching for them when I am at coastal spots. For updates on the plover marking project (and other bird banding activity), follow the CVWO First Landing blog.

Color-marked Piping Plovers

 Color-marked Piping Plover / Photo by Ann Maddock

Within the next few weeks, Piping Plovers will start arriving in the Mid-Atlantic states, either to stay and breed or to rest briefly en route to breeding grounds farther north. (Last year, I saw my first of the year on March 14 in New York.) This year, some of the plovers may be marked with colored leg bands as part of a migration study. A Piping Plover with a black flag near the top of its left leg, like the one above, is likely to be part of a population that winters in the Bahamas.

How may a sighting be reported? Simple. Report all sightings to CHERI GRATTO-TREVOR, Prairie and Northern Wildlife Research Centre, Environment Canada, 115 Perimeter Road, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0X4 Canada, EM: cheri.gratto-trevor@ec.gc.ca , noting the color and location of each band on the bird, and location and behaviour of the bird (on nest, brooding, foraging at migratory stop-over, etc.), as well as presumed sex of the bird, if possible.

What do color bands of The Bahamas plovers look like? They look like the three Bahamas plovers pictured above. All have a black flag on the upper left leg. Each have a single white band on one of the lower legs, right or left. Each have two color bands (neither of which is a white band) on the lower leg opposite the leg with the single white band. Colors used were: red, orange, yellow, white, light green, dark green, dark blue, and black. No metal bands were placed on any of The Bahamas birds; nor were color bands placed on the upper right legs of the birds.

So far only the only previously banded Piping Plover to be resighted belonged to the Great Lakes population. That bird, an adult female, was banded in 2005 on her breeding grounds in Michigan. She has returned to Michigan to nest each year since then but was not recorded elsewhere until she was seen in the Bahamas.

Of the 57 color-marked Piping Plovers that are part of the current study, 50 were observed again within 24 hours of being banded. Many were seen during subsequent weeks, but they will be leaving the Bahamas very soon. These birds could be part of the Great Lakes population, or they could migrate and breed elsewhere. If you notice any Piping Plovers with color bands this year, make sure to record the colors and positions of all the bands and report the sighting.

The Piping Plover is federally listed as endangered in the Great Lakes region and threatened in the Northern Great Plains and Atlantic Coast. While their status has been improving thanks to the recovery program, the species is still vulnerable. More information about where each of the populations migrates and breeds will assist recovery efforts.

More details on the project and how to report sightings, along with additional photos of banded plovers, are available at the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory blog.

Monitoring Plovers

Piping plover nesting season is once again upon us, and New Jersey is preparing to monitor nesting sites.

For the past two decades, the Division of Fish and Wildlife has directed a plover monitoring system that partly relies on a hardy and loyal band of volunteers to try to create a safe environment for breeding pairs of the endangered piping plovers.

Despite their efforts, however, New Jersey’s plover population is at best holding steady, even though the bird’s numbers have increased in other states. A 1991 count by the United States Geological Survey found 280 birds in New Jersey; last year, the Division of Fish and Wildlife found 111 nesting pairs in four coastal counties: Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May. By contrast, New York’s plover population went to 852 birds in 2006 from 334 birds in 1991. New Jersey ranks fourth in East Coast plover population, behind Massachusetts, New York and Virginia, according to the survey.

Predators and habitat loss to development have taken their toll on the state’s plovers, according to Todd Pover of the nonprofit Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. Last year disaster struck when a strong storm on Mother’s Day flooded beaches and destroyed many plover nests.

The lack of improvement is disturbing, but I cannot say I am surprised. The article mentions predation; while that is a problem for plovers, it is not unique to New Jersey. Other states also have gulls, foxes, and cats on their beaches. New Jersey, though, has relatively little natural beach remaining with what remains concentrated into a few state and federal parks. Most of the rest has been developed for housing or boardwalks, leaving plovers with few real breeding areas. Even those natural areas that do remain are very crowded during breeding season. Given those circumstances, holding steady might be an accomplishment in itself.

Plovers Washed Out

Last week's storms washed away many of New Jersey's piping plover nests.

• 14 of 21 nests monitored by the Conserve Wildlife Foundation were destroyed.
• 2 nests at Long Branch lost half their eggs.
• 9 nests were washed out at Sandy Hook, 2 nests were flooded but still being incubated, and 2 nests were unaffected.
• 1 nest in Holgate was washed out.

It is still early enough in the breeding season that piping plovers can try nesting again. Storms are one of many threats that piping plovers face. Others include predators, fireworks, harassment from beachgoers, and being run over by trucks.

Cape May's Feral Cats (Again)

Last night the Cape May City Council approved a proposal for relocating feral cats to colonies that are at least 1,000 yards from its beaches. Some of these colonies will be fenced. The city will also have to implement a cat registration program so that all cats in the city - feral or not - have unique identification tags. This ought to include RFID tags for the free-roaming cats to establish their movements and range; it would settle the question of which cats are preying on beach-nesting birds.

The article refers to this as a "compromise." Since a 1,000-foot buffer was the city's original proposal for preventing cat predation on the beaches, it is not clear what the compromise was. It appears to me that federal and state officials backed down in the face of opposition from the city.

Part of the reason for that opposition was that city officials were subject to a well-organized national campaign against taking stronger measures. Groups like Alley Cat Allies mounted petition drives against a previous proposal. Cape May's mayor reported receiving 600 emails in a single day from cat supporters, and 40 protesters attended last night's council meeting. No similar effort existed on behalf of endangered birds.

Piping plovers and other birds that nest on beaches are extremely vulnerable to predation and other forms of harassment. Since their populations are so small, even a few nest failures have a major impact on the species. Feral cats have been implicated in piping plover nest failures (pdf) all along the East Coast, including around Cape May. Groups like Alley Cat Allies promote TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) as a cure for this problem, but TNR is only somewhat effective (pdf) as a population check, and feral cat colony management does nothing to prevent predation on wild birds. Removing cats from beaches and restricting feral cat colonies may seem distasteful, especially if (like me) you like cats. Unfortunately these measures are necessary when endangered species are involved.

Piping Plovers and Cats at Cape May

Cape May is known among birders as a prime birding destination, especially during fall migration. The area is also home to nesting populations of threatened bird species, including piping plovers. Recently the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that feral cats in Cape May are a threat to the endangered species that live there and informed the town that the problem would need to be rectified. Unfortunately, feral cats are seen by some residents and visitors as part of the town's Victorian charm.

The federal government may intervene on the side of the birds, drawing mixed reactions here. Cat lovers fear that the cats will be euthanized, while bird lovers are wary of the possibility of rare species being wiped out.

“This is a very emotional issue; this really is a cat town,” said one resident, Pat Peckham. “I think they should leave the cats where they are. I’m a firm believer in letting nature take its course.”

The trouble is that feral cats really are not part of nature, at least not in North America. They are introduced domesticated animals that were released into the wild for a variety of reasons. Like other nonnative species, they can upset the balance of natural ecosystems. In some places, the impact may be debatable, but when mixed with rare species, nonnative predators are a major problem.

New Jersey Audubon is offering one possible compromise solution:

Mr. Stiles, the Audubon Society official, is working on a pilot project to find a middle ground. It would bring together animal control officials and advocacy groups to share information on endangered birds and cat colonies. Cats that are near endangered birds could be relocated, while others could be undisturbed.

Whether or not this would work remains to be seen. Cats are territorial hunters and defend their territories fiercely. Taking feral cats from one territory and moving them into another would cause stress and possibly injury for both the relocated cats and other cats in the areas where they would be moved. If there is a heavy saturation of feral cats in Cape May, as the article suggests, then other cats are likely to move into the newly-vacated territories. Without some form of feral population reduction, keeping cats away from plover nests would require constant vigilance and intervention.

Piping Plover News

Finally we get to have some good news about the endangered piping plover. The Great Lakes region appears to be seeing an increase in the population of piping plovers despite continued development. As on the east coast, plover nesting has become a cause for controversy between wildlife officials who want to protect the nests and would-be beachgoers. At one site in Ontario, the conflict centers on a former bombing range where piping plovers have begun to nest; in addition to the plovers, there may be unexploded ordnance on the beaches. Closer to Washington, the piping plovers at Cape Henlopen in Delaware managed to fledge twelve chicks despite continual interruptions, including plane crashes and the filming of surfing scenes for a movie (this one?).

Back in Washington

This afternoon I arrived back in Washington, D.C., after a lovely trip to New Jersey and New York to visit family and have a bit of fun. While I was away, both weekends were relatively cool and dry. Even the hotter days during the last week were not as bad as the weather in Washington had been during the last few weeks. So that was a relief. I had ample opportunity for birding in a few of the better spots in central New Jersey, particularly Sandy Hook and the Great Swamp. The first trip brought me a life bird, the piping plover. (The latter link is to an USFWS page with interesting information and links, plus a slide show.) The walks also brought me some lifers for my growing interest in the lepidoptera and odonata orders. I recorded eight new butterflies and eleven new odonates, including my first damselflies. I can see why someone can become so intrigued by damselflies; all of them are dainty and the ebony jewelwing is particularly beautiful. There will be more posts about the trip later in the week.

Trip Report: Sandy Hook, NJ

I am still out of town, visiting family in New Jersey and New York, and I will continue to be doing some occasional birding during that time. This afternoon I, along with several family members, visited one of the birding shore birding spots in Central Jersey, Sandy Hook. (The virtual tours in that link are highly recommended.)

In summer there is a $10 fee to enter Sandy Hook, but it is still free for birders who park in certain lots. (The fee is really only to cover the cost of providing life guards and other services for the swimming beaches.) So we went all the way out to the north end where there is a hawk watch platform. This platform is built on top of one of the old gun emplacements from when Sandy Hook was a military base to protect New York harbor. Now there is still a Coast Guard base at the very tip of the hook, but the rest of the bunkers that litter the hook are off-limits and in varying states of decay. The view to the beach is blocked at the parking lot for the hawk watch by a line of bunkers that are now crowned by sumacs and poison ivy rather than the naval siege guns aimed at German submarines during the two world wars. A field in the parking lot was overgrown with grasses and wildflowers, ideal for many butterfly species, including monarchs, a mourning cloak, clouded sulphurs, cabbage whites, and a silver-spotted skipper. My sister thought a viceroy was in the mix as well. When we first arrived there was a cloud of butterflies, but these slowly dispersed before we could identify all of them.

The hawk watch is only active during spring migration, but there were still raptors to be seen from the observation deck as most osprey nests were still operative. Unfortunately I could not make out any chicks in the nests, but many of the platforms had two adult osprey perched upon them. From the observation deck we were given a show by two brown thrashers who took sand baths in the dunes and then began sparring with each other.

The beach is a long walk along the Fishermen's Trail from the hawk watch. Because of the frequent foot traffic, the sand along the trail is very difficult for walking, to the point that some people have begun walking over the intact parts of the dunes as well. I hope that NJ Audubon will put up a fence to stop this; otherwise the whole dune will be destroyed sooner or later. There are ponds on either side of the trail. The one on the left had a large congregation of shorebirds and gulls. Unfortunately I could not make out much without a scope. There did appear to be some larger shorebirds, perhaps yellowlegs, but this could not be confirmed. Large chunks of the beach have been closed off with temporary fencing for nesting shorebirds and terns, but there is still plenty of room for walking in the surf and surf fishing. See, birds and people can get along no matter how much people complain about restrictions.

One of my hobby horses on this blog has been the state of certain species of concern, especially the least tern and piping plover. Well, this afternoon we saw least terns and a single piping
plover, two birds on NJ's endangered species list. The piping plover was a lifer for me. It was alone with a group of sanderlings, who later took off, leaving the plover all alone. This group was a few yards inside of the restriced area, while we watched from a few yards outside of the restricted area. The piping plover blended in with the sand quite well, and it required several sweeps with the binoculars for me to make it out. Further down the beach was an American oystercatcher, one of my all-time favorite birds. (Need I explain?) The least and common terns, both of which nest at the hook, were vocalizing in a way that I had never heard before. Now that I am home five hours later I cannot describe this call adequately; it was kind of like a gull's, except more raucous and throaty. I assume this active vocalization was related to their proximity to nesting territories. The signs marking the restriced areas also mentioned black skimmers as nesting there, but I saw none; I do not know if any actually bred there this summer.

Sanderling amaze me with the way they can run back and forth, dodging the incoming waves while snatching the bits of food washed up by the surf. I am surprised that more of them are not drowned by the waves. Terns also amaze me by their ability to dive into the waves and pick out small fish, while avoiding the oncoming waves. All such species require an uncanny sense of the rhythm of the surf greater than that of even the best human surfers.

In winter one can usually see New York from the end of the Fishermen's Trail. Today Brooklyn was barely visible and I could see only the ghost of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge with my binoculars. Manhattan was right out. Oddly enough Staten Island was invisible as well.

There are several places to stop and bird on the bay side of the hook. Today we only stopped at the southernmost cove. (I believe this is Spermacetti Cove, but I may be wrong.) We did not add much here except for a semipalmated plover, spotted sandpiper, and least sandpiper. Several heron species perched in the trees above the marsh grasses. The mosquitos were more apparent than birds along that trail, so we left before providing any more dinner for the hungry insects.

Birds and Heat

In several entries I have noted that on hot summer days it becomes harder to find birds to watch. The Houston Chronicle has a piece on how birds react to hot weather, which can affect them even more strongly than humans because their bodies are so on-edge. The article notes several ways birds keep cool, such as sitting in the shade, fluffing feathers to circulate air, and seeking water sources for bathing. To the recommendations for helping birds mentioned in the article, I would add that it is good for birders not to engage in disruptive behavior on very hot days, like those we had in Washington this past week. That is, we should refrain from pishing and other things that might put undue stress on the birds that we are trying to watch.

Piping Plovers

In Massachusetts, four piping plovers were stolen from a closed beach where they were nesting. There were witnesses to the heist, but so far there are no suspects and no known motive. Since the piping plover is an endangered species, the theft can be punished by fines and jail time under both state and federal law. After all the bad news regarding piping plovers, at least one location has seen a successful breeding season for the species: Brigantine, New Jersey.

More Ivory-bill News

According to the New York Times, two top American birders - David Sibley and Kenn Kaufman are expressing skepticism about the reported ivory-bill sighting:

In fact, Mr. Kaufman said, "I've actually been shocked that virtually everyone has been embracing this."

He added, "I do in fact believe that there was a bird there last year, but it hasn't been proven and we could have a more honest discussion if people accept the fact that we don't have proof."

Mr. Sibley is unconvinced. At first, he, too, was elated, and went down to Arkansas for 10 days to look for the ivory bill without success.

It was only when he returned, he said, that he began to think critically about the Science report. "It's really crushing to come to the conclusion that it might not be true, that there is room for some reasonable doubt."

He has been reluctant to speak publicly about his doubts, and described doubters as being treated as "heretics" in online discussions.

The reason he is speaking out now, he said, is that he worried that money might be diverted from other conservation efforts.

What he said he wanted, for proof, was "redundancy. Repeated sightings by independent observers of birds really well seen."

A member of the search team, Bobby Harrison, was interviewed at length for the article. He agrees with the skeptics that further documentation is needed; in particular he hopes to get clear photographs of the ivory-bill when he returns to the Arkansas swamps later this year and early next year. At the same time he maintains that he did indeed see an ivory-billed woodpecker.

Problems for endangered (and near-endangered) species in New Jersey

Even though the title of my blog is A DC Birding Blog, I do have a strong interest in birdlife in New Jersey. This is because I grew up there and frequently return there for visits due to continuing connections. Such visits usually include a bit of birding.

Anyway, two reports have come out today in the Asbury Park Press about the future of two rare shorebirds, the red knot and the piping plover. The red knot has become threatened in recent years due to the loss of hermit crabs in the Delaware Bay, which red knots feed upon while in transit from their wintering grounds in southern South America to their breeding grounds in the Arctic. (This is one of the longest migrations known.) The New Jersey Audubon Society and concerned lawmakers, such as Frank Pallone, are pushing for expedited listing under the Endangered Species Act, which will not be possible if the Bush administration is able to change the law.

Piping plovers have had low success in nesting in New Jersey this year, partly due to habitat loss and partly due to predation by foxes. The breeding population at Sandy Hook was the lowest since 1991. Similar problems face least terns, another species endangered in New Jersey. The piping plovers also face problems in Prince Edward Island and North Carolina.

I was very glad to spot a red knot near Bombay Hook in May. But so far I have not seen a piping plover. Perhaps I will this migration or next?