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It's not easy raising piping plover chicks on NYC beaches
It's not easy raising piping plover chicks on NYC beaches
photo credit: NYC Plover Project
Piping plovers are very sensitive to human disturbance.
There are a whole lot of people, and very few piping plovers, trying to share the shoreline.
Piping plovers face a lot of challenges in NYC
Piping plovers face a lot of challenges in NYC
When people or their dogs get too close to nesting sites, or loud drones or kites fly too close, plovers can get scared off their nests. This leaves chicks and eggs alone and vulnerable to predators and the hot sun.
This is why dogs are not allowed on Riis Park, Fort Tilden, or Breezy Point beaches in the Rockaways between March 15th and September 15th!
photo credit: WildlifeNYC
Chicks must be able to walk to and from the shoreline to feed. If people or obstacles are in their way, they will not go, and may starve. That is why the NYC Parks Department temporarily closes one mile of beach in the Rockaways in the summertime to protect and monitor endangered nesting shorebirds [4]
There is plenty of other beach we can enjoy without harming the plovers!
photo credit: NYC Plover Project
Plover chicks are so tiny, and camouflage so well, that they are really hard to see. Sadly, sometimes they get stepped on by beachgoers who aren't paying attention.
Can you find the piping plover chick in this photo?
Trash left on the beach attracts predators like raccoons, gulls, and feral cats that will prey on eggs and chicks.
Some people don't understand why they need to stay out of protected areas, or why sections of beach may be closed. They don't always follow ranger rules.
People are helping!
People are helping!
Many people in NYC care about piping plovers and are working together to educate the public and protect the nesting birds.
Many people in NYC care about piping plovers and are working together to educate the public and protect the nesting birds.
Male and female piping plover during courtship
photo credit: Jen KeplerEvery spring, National Park Service rangers, NYC Parks Department staff, and volunteers set up string fencing (called "symbolic fencing") around breeding habitat. People are forbidden from entering these areas.
Rangers post signs alerting beachgoers about protected areas and the piping plovers and other shorebirds who nest on the beach.
Here's a short video about the symbolic fencing at Fort Tilden Beach
NYC Plover Project volunteers at their booth at Riis Park Beach Bazaar
photo credit: NYC Plover ProjectRangers and volunteers also patrol the beaches and talk to people about the piping plovers and make sure people are following the rules. They explain why it is important to protect the birds, and how. They give out stickers sometimes, too!
Doing a few small things can really make a big difference for the piping plovers. Go to the next page and learn how you too can be a Plover Pal!
Doing a few small things can really make a big difference for the piping plovers. Go to the next page and learn how you too can be a Plover Pal!
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