Overview
Hello Ploverites!
While the snowy plover breeding season officially runs from March 1 to September 15, our breeding activity should be wrapped up in the seashore early next week with our last chicks fledging around Labor Day. Today, PRNSA wildlife technician Aiko Goldston found a lone, three-week-old chick with an unbanded male at Limantour Beach, giving us one more late nest for the season. Earlier this week our team was able to confirm nine new fledges from five different broods, bringing our total for the season up from 14 to 23 chicks fledged. We really must give a big round of applause to two of our long-time male nesters: as:yy (aqua over silver on the left leg, yellow over yellow on the right) and as:oa (aqua over silver on the left, orange over aqua on the right). Both as:yy and as:oa fledged three chicks each after having multiple failed nests early in the season. Since he hatched in 2020, as:oa has fledged at almost one chick every year since he started breeding in the seashore. Even more impressive, as:yy has fledged at least one chick all but one year since he started nesting back in 2017. They're both definitely doing their part in helping grow the population here in the seashore and giving us multiple successful breeding seasons.
Out at Limantour, we have our last two broods of chicks aiming to make it through the weekend and fledging on Monday. If all four of these chicks fledge, the male of that one brood, aqua over silver on the left, pink over violet on the right (as:pv), will without a doubt be our superstar for the year. as:pv had two chicks fledge back in late June and wasted no time setting up his second nest of the year. We hope to have great news for you next week in what will be our final update of the year!
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact Parker Kaye via email.
Productivity Stats
- 56 total nests this season
- 0 active nests
- 27 hatched
- 29 failed nests
- 4 maximum chicks on PRNS beaches
- 23 chicks fledged
- 3 PRNS juveniles released from IBR
Photos
A snowy plover chick banded red over violet on the left leg and violet over violet on the right leg (rv:vv) at Limantour Beach. This bird is one of three chicks hatched from the nest of male as:pv and female white over brown on the left leg, orange over blue on the right (wn:ob).
Photo credit: Aiko Goldston / PRNSA
An unbanded snowy plover chick standing in some beach wrack next to an unbanded male snowy plover at Limantour Beach. This chick was discovered for the first time today and appears to be roughly 3 weeks old.
Photo credit: Aiko Goldston / PRNSA
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