Western Snowy Plover Monitoring: A Strong Start to the 2023 Breeding Season

By Science Communication Assistant Avani Fachon, San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network Science Communication Team

Western snowy plover eggs at the Abbott’s Lagoon Restoration Area. Restoration projects have been ongoing at this site since 2001 to provide improved habitat for plovers and other rare species of plants and animals. This year, biologists are thrilled to observe that many plover pairs are nesting in this area.

NPS / Matt Lau

Biologists have found several snowy plover nests on Limantour Beach this year, including that of the long reigning “royal” plover pair who has been nesting in the area since 2018.

NPS / Matt Lau

June 2023 - Things are continuing to look up for western snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) at Point Reyes National Seashore this 2023 breeding season. It has been filled with an abundance of early nesting activity and new developments from a long reigning royal pair.

Since March, National Park Service and Point Blue Conservation Science biologists have been carefully monitoring beaches and dunes at Point Reyes for snowy plover nests. The team is finding that the plovers are having a productive nesting year. As of mid-June, they have located 30 nests around Abbotts Lagoon, Point Reyes Beach, Kehoe Beach, and Limantour Beach. Sixteen of these nests were found at the start of the field season in April; typically, biologists don't find this many nests until peak season (late May-early July). The monitoring team also determined that the plovers’ breeding population size this year is similar, if not a bit larger, than last year’s — around 40-45 individuals.

Early nest surveys have also reaffirmed that Abbotts Lagoon restoration efforts are working. Many of the active nests this year are located in this area. Coastal dune restoration projects have been ongoing at the Seashore since 2001 to provide improved habitat for the plovers and other native species, such as Tidestrom’s lupine. The many dunes and low-lying native vegetation in this restoration area, informally known as “Abbotts Triangle,” provide ideal hiding spots for the little birds. This vegetation is perfect for staying concealed from predators but makes it tremendously difficult for biologists to keep track of the skittery plover dads (who raise the young) and their hatchlings.

Hopefully, these fluffy hatchlings will return to the restoration area next year to breed in the 2024 field season. The team bands each plover chick with a unique color combination to track individuals and determine return rates. Through observation of these color bands, 18 of the 29 fledglings hatched in 2022 have been confirmed to be breeding at the Seashore, or elsewhere along the coast. Biologists haven't seen such high juvenile return rates since the start of the banding program at Point Reyes.

As the field season progresses, the team will continue monitoring each nest to determine nesting success and chick survival. So far, 11 nests have hatched — including that of the long-reigning plover pair dubbed the “king and queen of Limantour.” As of May 21st, they have two feathery new heirs!

Plovers and their sandy habitats are greatly interconnected. A successful plover season is a good indicator that their beach and dune ecosystems are becoming healthier. The abundance of activity observed in this early field season is promising for both plover populations and the health of the Point Reyes shoreline.

For more information

• 2023 snowy plover updates
• "The Western Snowy Plover: A Tiny Shorebird On A Long Journey", National Parks Traveler
• San Francisco Bay Area Network Western Snowy Plover Monitoring webpage
• Pacific Coast Science & Learning Center Western Snowy Plover webpage
  • Western Snowy Plover Blog
• Contact Wildlife Biologist Matt Lau

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