PIPING PLOVER NESTS 2010
Piping Plover Nest Locations - GPS'd August 3, 2010
Piping Plovers have started nesting again on the beach next to Harkness Park in Waterford. Once again the Trust has the honor of hosting a nest!
Apr 28, 2010 4:40 PM -
The Piping Plovers have started nesting again on Strand beach next to Harkness Park in Waterford. This time the birds located a nest [near] one of our beach lots (Power's Beach Tract). See the map. The chicks hatched June 26th and 27th (the count was up to four (4) as of June 28th, down to three (3) July 3rd). July 30th they are still very healthy. ** You need to be extra cautious when near the chicks until they can fly (which they were doing July 23rd, so the Trust string area has been taken down).
History: On April 25, 2010 the Plovers attempted their first nest with four (4) eggs up in the dune grass. The nest failed, something got the eggs. They tried again in May just East of our property. The State enclosed that nest with a protective cage, but, it was washed over by a higher than normal tide. A third nest attempt was verified on May 28th. This nest is up in the dunes near the metal enclosure. PLEASE - give the birds a chance with this nest.
How? Keep a good distance from the nest, walk by quickly and don't set up camp near it. The string "fence" is a minimal barrier to keep people from accidentally stepping on the nest, it's better to keep further away. Whatever you do, avoid the area with your dogs. The adults may not get up from the nest if a human walks by, but the presence of a dog will always disturb them. The birds may try to lead the dog away and they won't go back to the nest until the dog is well out of range. If the adult spends too much time off the nest the eggs could die (from cold or heat) or the adults could abandon it altogether.
The eggs take about 26 to 28 days to hatch, then, if all goes well, the chicks should be able to fly about 3 or 4 weeks later. The time after hatching and before flying will be critical. During this time if you must walk by with a dog ALWAYS keep it on a leash and move by quickly. Also keep in mind the chicks will wander outside the stringed areas. They usually stay within a territorial range several hundred feet either side of the nest. So keep alert, especially with dogs.
Once they are flying the chance for survival is much higher, and they may even leave the area soon after. On the other hand, if the nest fails or the chicks die, the adults will probably try again - pushing off the departure until later in the summer. If this happens the restrictions by the State will stay in place longer.
The moral of the story, the better we treat them now, the sooner we'll get our beach back. So please - DO NOT DISTURB THE BIRDS.