“We had one more plover chick fledge this week (running a total of 13 from 6 broods). We currently have at least 20 unfledged chicks from 14 broods. Unfortunately, chicks are continuing to disappear, probably as a result of predation, … Continue reading →
“We currently have 24 nests and 10 broods of piping plovers (totaling 24 chicks). Some pairs are still laying eggs while some chicks are newly hatched and others have already lost most of their down feathers. During our survey today, … Continue reading →
“We had a lot of plovers re-nesting this week (8 new nests!), bringing our current total to 29 nests and 7 broods of chicks. Although I expect more hatching next week, hatching is rather delayed this year due to all … Continue reading →
“I’m writing with a belated plover update. We currently have at least 30 pairs of plovers and 18 pairs of least terns on the refuge. As of Friday, we had six broods of plover chicks. This includes broods near both … Continue reading →
“We finally have plover chicks! As you’re probably aware, one brood hatched on private property and then moved onto the refuge a week ago, and one brood hatched on the refuge as of today. Many other pairs (at least 33 … Continue reading →
From Ranger Matt Poole: “Effective sunset on June 4th, the ENTIRE refuge beach will be closed to all public access until further notice. Why the change you ask? Some piping plover chicks, hatched from a nest immediately north of the … Continue reading →
“The plovers haven’t started hatching yet, but it should be any day now. Unfortunately, the plovers and terns were hit hard by a combination of predators and bad weather over Memorial Day weekend. I’ve found a total of 52 plover … Continue reading →
“We currently have 20 active plover nests on the refuge. A few nests overwashed during the spring tides, which is to be expected. Unfortunately, predators (primarily crows) also took seven nests. Even so, the first nest could hatch next week! … Continue reading →
On March 27, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and The Friends of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge collaborated on the spring beach cleanup. About 30 volunteers removed about 400 pounds of trash from the refuge beach prior to piping plover … Continue reading →
The plovers have officially started nesting! I found four nests this week, including a nest inside a lobster trap for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, one of the other nests was already predated. I’m unsure of the culprit, … Continue reading →
