OVERVIEW
Hello Ploverites! Western snowy plover productivity is looking fantastic this past month and a half. We found two broods near the Abbotts Lagoon area in the past few weeks that had hatched from unknown nests (i.e., we didn't know these nests existed!). One of these broods already fledged three chicks and the other brood will likely fledge three more today! All six of these chicks will, unfortunately, be unbanded; we found them at a stage where they were highly mobile and nearly impossible to capture for banding. Despite this loss in data, it is satisfying knowing that snowy plovers can nest successfully without the protection of an exclosure!
Here are updates organized by beach sites:
Kehoe (K):
One brood with a single chick remains on this site, which will fledge next week. There are no longer any active nests here.
Abbotts Lagoon Restoration Area (RA):
The last nest on this site (and in the entire park!) hatched this week. This is currently our most active site with three broods; two additional broods just recently fledged young in the past week (six total). A winter flock can often be found roosting within the restoration area, numbering between six and fifteen individuals.
Abbotts Lagoon to North Beach parking lot (NP):
We no longer have any known breeding activity left on this site, though the broods in the Restoration Area sometimes venture out onto the outer ocean-fronting beach at the north end of this site, near the Abbotts Lagoon mouth. Winter flocks can be found scattered all along this beach.
North Beach (NB):
There hasn't been any breeding activity between North Beach and South Beach parking lots in the past couple months nor any signs of winter flocks.
South Beach (SB):
No breeding activity has been observed at this site this year.
Limantour (L):
There is one brood with a single chick on this site. No active nests remain. A fairly large winter flock began forming here in mid-July and has grown to at least 40 individuals!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Matt Lau, the park's Snowy Plover Ecologist, via email.
CURRENT STATS:
- 33 total nests this season
- 0 active nest
- 17 hatched
- 16 failed nests
- 10–12 chicks on the beach
- 16 chicks confirmed fledged
Newly hatched and banded (av:vo) chicks near the Abbotts Lagoon restoration area.
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