Piping Plover chick Photo by Elsie Harrington
As summer winds down, shorebird season is still going strong in a few key locations! Most of our fencing has come down for the season, except at Eighth Hole, where one determined pair of Piping Plovers has captured our hearts.
On July 9th, after a nerve-wracking holiday weekend during which crowds pushed up against the fencing, our nesting pair at Eighth Hole stayed strong. Despite extreme stress and the very real risk of abandonment, they successfully hatched 4 healthy chicks!
These chicks are now just over 2 weeks old and are actively cruising around Eighth Hole Beach. Piping Plover chicks typically fledge at around 25–30 days old, so we’re expecting them to take flight sometime in the next few weeks. The fencing at Eighth Hole will stay up until the chicks have safely fledged!
Our team is conducting weekly observations, and we’re thrilled to report that the chicks are doing great!
Just over at FI Beach Pond (or Secret Beach) another plover family is thriving. One pair has hatched 3 chicks, with 1 chick noticeably larger than theother two. This is a great reminder that not all eggs hatch at exactly the same time, even within the same clutch. Some embryos develop more quickly than others, leading to slight size differences early on.
Piping Plover Chick Photo by Elsie Harrington
Piping Plover Chick Photo by Elsie Harrington
And it’s not just plovers keeping us busy… Least Tern activity is picking up, too! We’ve observed…
2 Least Tern pairs, each with active broods
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1 pair has been seen tending to 2 small chicks
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The 2nd pair was spotted with at least 1 chick under close watch
Adult Least Tern with two chicks in the fog Photo by Anna White
Two Least Tern chicks in the fog Photo by Anna White
We’ll continue monitoring these families closely as the season wraps up. Every fledgling bird is a victory for conservation!
If you have questions or want to get involved, feel free to reach out at annarwfic@gmail.com.