Article

Western Snowy Plovers Have Record Breaking 2022 Season at Point Reyes

By Wildlife Biologist Matt Lau, San Francisco Bay Area Network Western Snowy Plover Monitoring Program

Small, sand-colored shorebird with colored bands on its legs standing on the beach. — Snowy plover fledged in 2022. Biologists confirmed at least 28 fledglings on Point Reyes beaches in 2022, the highest total since 1997.
Nils Warnock

August 2022 - The western snowy plover breeding season is wrapping up in Point Reyes National Seashore, and it's ending on a high note. National Park Service and Point Blue Conservation Science biologists confirmed 28 fledglings (i.e., plover chicks that survived to at least 28 days), out of 45 chicks that hatched from park nests, a 62.2% fledge rate. This is the highest recorded fledge rate since 2012 and the highest total number of fledged chicks since 1997!

In total, biologists found 34 nests: seven on Limantour Spit, three on Kehoe Beach, five in the Abbotts Lagoon restoration area, and 19 between Abbotts Lagoon and North Beach parking lot. Nest success appeared to be notably high as well, particularly on North Beach: only three out of 19 nests failed (84.2% nest success). Two nests were lost due to extreme wind events and another failed for unknown reasons. Overall nest success was 64.7%, the highest estimate since 2015 and higher than the long-term nest success average (61%). Incredibly, there wasn't a single case of plover nest depredation by common ravens, a stark contrast to recent years. Part of this success can be attributed to biologists skillfully and quickly finding plover nests and protecting them with new mini-exclosures before predators were able to detect them.

Overhead view of a tiny sand colored chick next to two unhatched speckled eggs in a shallow sand scrape lined with small white pebbles and shells. — In total, biologists found 34 western snowy plover nests. Nest success was 64.7%, higher than the long-term average of 61%. And incredibly, there wasn't a single case of plover nest depredation by common ravens, a stark contrast to recent years.
NPS / Matt Lau

Preliminary summaries showed that the breeding adult population in the park increased to at least 39 individuals, an increase from the estimate of 32 in the 2021 breeding season. The breeding population was bolstered by a number of juveniles that survived the winter and decided to stay in the park to breed. Of the approximately 39 breeding adult plovers, nine were juveniles that hatched in Point Reyes in 2021. If survival rates are high this coming winter and the 2022 juveniles decide to stay to breed, we may see a similar increase in population size next season. Stay tuned starting next March!