Overview
Hello Ploverites!
Point Reyes' western snowy plovers are quickly converting over to winter mode—only a single brood remains, though they have evaded biologists recently; this last brood fledges this coming Monday, August 29. Hopefully we will be able to relocate them before the hatchling fledges and takes off!
Biologists are also switching gears: instead of surveying for nests and broods, we are focusing on locating winter flocks, counting the number of birds within flocks, and finding fledglings hiding among the adults. Sometimes we find fledglings that we were unable to have confirmed fledged previously, making it important to scan winter flocks and identify color band combinations on these young birds! However, some fledglings do decide to migrate elsewhere once they are able to fly, sometimes making it difficult for us to make an accurate estimate of exact fledge counts. But there is a range-wide monitoring effort, so biologists and volunteers at sites outside of Point Reyes may be able to identify our banded birds during their surveys and report them to us, providing valuable data.
See photos below for examples of nests that we have found this season!
Here are updates organized by beach sites:
Kehoe (K):
A winter flock can be found near the lagoon mouth with sporadic small flocks along this beach.
Abbotts Lagoon Restoration Area (RA):
No breeding activity remains at this site. There is one brood hidden somewhere on this site.
Abbotts Lagoon to North Beach parking lot (NP):
No breeding activity remains on this site. Winter flocks can be found scattered along this beach, mostly near North Beach parking lot and near the Abbotts Lagoon mouth.
North Beach (NB):
No winter flocks are present on this beach.
South Beach (SB):
No winter flocks are present on this beach.
Limantour (L):
A couple winter flocks can be found here—this site typically has the park's largest winter flock in December–January.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Matt Lau, the park's Snowy Plover Ecologist, via email.
CURRENT STATS:
- 34 total nests this season
- 0 active nest
- 22 hatched
- 12 failed nests
- ~2 chicks on the beach
- 28 chicks confirmed fledged
An oddly misshapen snowy plover egg (bottom) next to a normal-shaped egg (top).
A beautifully decorated snowy plover nest on North Beach.
A snowy plover nest hidden among beach pea on the foredunes near Abbotts Lagoon.
A snowy plover nest laid near woody debris within the Abbotts Lagoon restoration area.
The National Park Service shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. These data and related graphics (if available) are not legal documents and are not intended to be used as such. The information contained in these data is dynamic and may change over time. The National Park Service gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data. For more information: https://www.nps.gov/disclaimer.htm