Snowy Plover Update - September 1, 2023

September 02, 2023 Posted by: Matt Lau

Overview

Hello Ploverites!

No snowy plover nests remain in the park and our last four broods are projected to fledge in the next week and a half. We are currently at 14–15 fledges so far. We have not officially confirmed a fledge from a brood that was projected to fledge this past week, hence the estimate of 14–15 fledges. If we can break 20 fledged plover chicks this season though, it'll turn out to be a fairly productive season considering how low nest and chick survival were this year!

Some of our juveniles (i.e., older fledges) have already been observed moving out of the park, going northward. A couple of Limantour juveniles have been observed along the Sonoma Coast. Other juveniles have left the park but haven't been observed elsewhere yet, while others remain in the park and have joined the winter flocks that have formed.

Overall nest success was 58% (29 of 50 nests successfully hatched at least one egg); 21 of the 50 nests failed for a variety of reasons, e.g., common raven depredation, tidal over wash, and nest abandonment. Fledge success, thus far, is approximately 20.3% (13 fledged chicks out of 64 hatched chicks), which is considerably lower than last year's fledge rate of 53.8%. But hopefully we see a high return rate next year of both breeding adults and juveniles from this past season. Productivity trends go up and down, so hopefully next year turns out better!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Matt Lau via email.

CURRENT STATS:

  • 50 total nests this season
    • 0 active nest
    • 29 hatched
    • 21 failed nests
  • 8–9 chicks on PRNS beaches
  • 14–15 chicks fledged!

A photo of two small black-speckled, beige-colored shorebird chicks with small bands on their legs sitting on gray canvas.Two snowy plover chicks rest inside of the banding kit bag after banding. North Beach, August 2023.
Photo credit: NPS/Matt Lau

A photo of a man wearing a green ball cap and gray sweater holding a ruler up to a small black-speckled, beige-colored egg floating in a small plastic container.Biologist Matt Lau floating a snowy plover egg and taking measurements to help in estimating when the nest will hatch. Limantour Beach, August 8, 2023
Photo credit: © Gina Graziano / Point Blue Conservation Science


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

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Last updated: September 3, 2023

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Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Phone:

415-464-5100
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