Shorebird Monitoring

A Wilson Plover is standing on the beach.

NPS Photo

2025 Wilson's Plover Nest Counts:

Apollo ( 15 )..........Playalinda ( 25 )
Total Wilson's Plover Nests: 40

 

A collage of 5 photos depicting Wilsons Plovers life on the beach, the eggs on the beach, foraging for food by the shore, and hunkered down at the top of the dune.

NPS Photo

Through partnerships with the Florida Shorebird Alliance, Volusia County and Canaveral National Seashore; shorebird monitoring of Wilson’s Plovers is conducted by a select team of qualified volunteers between March and August annually. Two teams survey and report shorebird nesting status for the twenty-four miles of coastline between Apollo Beach and Playalinda Beach weekly. This Plover (a medium size shorebird nester) has the perfect plumage for blending in with the Park’s natural untouched shoreline; making its camouflage characteristic vital to nesting success. The combination of perfect habitat with an abundant shoreline food source make Canaveral National Seashore the perfect beach for these nesting Wilson’s Plovers to raise young chicks.