Overview
Hello Ploverites! We have had three nests hatch this past week and a half: two on north Kehoe Beach and one on North Beach. Both Kehoe broods have been accounted for in the past week, but the brood on North Beach has not been observed since nest hatch last Friday, the 19th of July. It's possible the father, who we also have not seen since nest hatch, may have moved the brood far north onto another beach site or even south of the nest; the latter is the more likely scenario. We still have four active nests, one of which is not projected to hatch until mid-August, meaning we will have a brood on the beach going into September, which is atypical. Most nests will usually have hatched by the end of July.
Here are updates organized by beach sites:
Kehoe (K)
There are still two active nests on this site, both near where the previous two most recently hatched nests were located. These two newer nests are projected to hatch the second week of August. Two sets of broods are staying close to these active nests: one group of three chicks and another group of two chicks.
Abbotts Lagoon Restoration Area (RA)
There are still no known active nests in this large native dune area at this time. Plovers have not been observed in this large native dune habitat for the latter half of the season.
Abbotts Lagoon to North Beach parking lot (NP)
There is still one active nest on this site, approximately 1 mile north of North Beach parking lot. This nest is projected to hatch early next week. Breeding activity on this long stretch of beach has declined compared to previous seasons. There is currently a small winter flock of about five to eight plovers near North Beach parking lot.
North Beach (NB)
A single nest recently hatched late last week, and we have not observed the brood since the morning of the hatch. This is the brood that may have moved far north or south of their nesting area. Biologists will be looking and monitoring these areas in the coming days. No winter flocks have been observed on this site in the past week.
Limantour (L)
There is one active nest on Limantour Spit that is projected to hatch the third week of August. There is a single chick brood that will be fledging on Sunday of this weekend, adding to our total number of fledged birds to six. Biologists have oddly found fresh scrapes on the spit and we will continue to monitor if a new nest will pop up. If so, this nest will be one of the latest season nests we have observed in the park.
South Beach (SB)
We are continuing to monitor this site for further breeding activity, but have not found any other plovers in the past week.
If you have any questions, please feel free to let Matt Lau, the park's Snowy Plover Ecologist, know via email. Thank you so much, again, for all your help!
Current Stats
- 34 nests so far this season
- 4 active nests
- 9 hatched
- 21 failed nests
- 7–10 chicks on the beach
- 6–8 chicks fledged
Two recently hatched snowy plover chicks watch their father from their nest cup. A third egg sits in the cup and does not show sign of hatching.
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