CONTACT:
Allison Briggaman: (603) 271-0463
Jane Vachon: (603) 271-3211
July 21, 2004
Endangered Shorebirds Fledging on N.H. Seacoast
CONCORD, N.H. -- Piping plovers are keeping
a toehold on New Hampshire's seacoast this year, with one chick already
fledged from a nest on Seabrook Town Beach and three more chicks expected
to fledge (begin to fly) from a nest on Hampton Beach State Park this
week, according to John Kanter, coordinator of the New Hampshire Fish
and Game Department's Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program. The shorebirds
are protected as a state-endangered and federally threatened species.
In all, four pairs of piping plovers nested on New Hampshire's seacoast
this season, fledging four chicks. In 2003, seven pairs of plovers fledged
seven chicks.
Beach-goers may have noticed that sections of Seabrook and Hampton beaches
were not raked during parts of June and July. Beaches are not mechanically
raked when plover chicks are present, because the tiny chicks - only about
the size of a cottonball - can't get out of the way of a beach rake. In
addition, raking removes the wrack, or seaweed, that chicks depend on
for food in their first month of life, before they can fly.
"We appreciate the public's cooperation, patience and understanding
of the need to avoid beach raking during a critical time for the plovers,"
said Kanter. "By putting up with some seaweed on the beach, you're
helping to give an endangered species a chance for survival."
At Seabrook Town Beach, two pairs of piping plovers nested this year.
One pair hatched four chicks, but lost three when high tides washed over
the dunes, burying the fencing around the nesting area under two feet
of sand. The remaining chick from this nest survived -- the only chick
to fledge from Seabrook Beach this year. The other nesting pair at Seabrook
laid four eggs that they incubated, but then abandoned.
At Hampton Beach State Park, two pairs of piping plovers nested and seven
chicks hatched. One pair hatched out four chicks, but one was lost during
the first week. The remaining three chicks are going strong. They were
four weeks old on July 18, and flew for the first time this week. A second
pair of plovers nested at Hampton hatched out three chicks. Two were lost
the first night, and the third succumbed a few days later, perhaps killed
by feral cats or other predators, such as foxes, crows, gulls or dogs.
They were in an area of heavier human traffic and some vehicle use, which
also can affect their survival.
Protection efforts for piping plovers began in New Hampshire eight years
ago. Each year, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department monitors the
plover nests with the help of dozens of volunteers who put up fencing
around nest areas, watch over the nests and educate beachgoers about the
birds.
Piping plovers are small shorebirds, about seven inches long with sand-colored
plumage on their backs and crown and white underparts. They breed only
in North America in three geographic regions: the Atlantic Coast, the
Northern Great Plains and the Great Lakes. In recent decades, piping plover
populations have drastically declined, as breeding habitat has been replaced
with shoreline development and recreation. Plovers arrive in New Hampshire
from mid-March through mid-May and remain until late July or late August
each year. They lay 3 to 4 eggs in shallow, scraped depressions lined
with light-colored pebbles and shell fragments. The eggs blend in extremely
well with their surroundings. Both sexes incubate the eggs, which hatch
within 30 days, and both adult plovers help care for the young until they
can fly, about 30 days after hatching.
For more information on piping plovers,
click here to visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife website.
Click here to find out more about New Hampshire Fish and Game's Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program, which protects piping plovers as well as many other endangered and threatened species and other wildlife not hunted, fished or trapped.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats.
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