July 12, 2021 – It’s been 83 years since a Piping Plover nest has been reported in Ohio. That changed in May 2021 when a nest was spotted at Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon, Ohio. The state park is located on the southwestern shores of Lake Erie, one of the five Great Lakes. In the Great Lakes region, the Piping Plover has been on the federal endangered species list since 1986. On July 1, 2021, four Piping Plover chicks hatched at the state park.

As soon as the nest was spotted in May, birders from far and wide came to Maumee Bay to see the nest and birds. Volunteers have been watching the nest from sunrise to sunset since it was first spotted. And cameras were installed to watch the area 24/7.

A third adult is also there. A large area where the birds built their nest was fenced in to prevent people from disturbing it. Piping Plover birds do not like a lot of human activity. With the fencing, the birds have the area all to themselves. Outside of the fence, people are swimming and enjoying summer activities with no harm to the birds.

All three adult birds – two females and one male – had been banded (bands placed on their legs) one year ago so information about the birds was readily available. The male (Nash) hatched last year in Chicago. The mom (Nellie) hatched last year in Presque Isle, Pennsylvania. The third female is Nellie’s sister. Her name is Birdie.

As migratory birds, once the chicks are able to fly (fledged), they will leave the area and begin their journey to where they will spend the winter. Plovers usually leave anytime from mid-July to September to avoid winter weather.

One of the predators volunteers are most concerned about is the egret. Egrets can take and eat Piping Plover chicks. If an egret becomes aggressive, there is nothing volunteers can do to prevent it. Volunteers are also keeping meticulous notes on the chicks and the adults to record their location and behavior throughout each day. This information will be very valuable to ornithologists as they study the species.

Since the chicks hatched on July 1, they will be ready to fly on their own by August 1 or a few days before or after. It will be interesting to see if the birds come back to Maumee Bay State Park for spring and summer 2022! The baby chicks have not been banded yet but will be outfitted with bands soon so they can be tracked.

The goal for species recovery in the Great Lakes region is 150 breeding pairs. This information is from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. That number of 150 breeding pairs has not yet been reached so conservation efforts continue for the endangered species.

About Piping Plovers (Information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – USFWS)

Piping plovers (scientific name – Charadrius melodus) are small shorebirds approximately seven inches long with sand-colored plumage on their backs and crown and white underparts. Breeding birds have a single black breastband, a black bar across the forehead, bright orange legs and bill, and a black tip on the bill. During winter, the birds lose the black bands, the legs fade to pale yellow, and the bill becomes mostly black.

Piping plovers breed only in North America in three geographic regions: the Atlantic Coast, the Northern Great Plains, and the Great Lakes.

1) Atlantic Coast: Plovers nest on coastal beaches, sandflats at the ends of sand spits and barrier islands, gently sloped foredunes, sparsely vegetated dunes, and washover areas cut into or between dunes.

2) Great Plains: Plovers in the Great Plains make their nests on open, sparsely vegetated sand or gravel beaches adjacent to alkali wetlands, and on beaches, sand bars, and dredged material islands of major river systems.

3) Great Lakes: Piping plovers breed on sparsely vegetated beaches, cobble pans, or sand spits of sand dune ecosystems along the Great Lakes shorelines.

Winter home: Piping plovers from all three breeding populations winter along South Atlantic, Gulf Coast, and Caribbean beaches and barrier islands, primarily on intertidal beaches with sand and/or mud flats with no or very sparse vegetation.

Check back for updates on the three adults and four chicks!

UPDATE (Aug. 31, 2021) – The three adult birds left the nest and the four chicks came back after leaving for awhile. Sadly, one Piping Plover chick was killed. People believe a mink, an animal related to the weasel and otter, killed the chick.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What is the scientific name of a Piping Plover?

2. What are the three geographic ranges in North America where Piping Plovers breed?

3. What is their habitat in the Great Lakes region?

4. How many Piping Plovers are at Maumee Bay State Park as of July 1, 2021?

INQUIRY QUESTIONS

1. Why do you think Nellie and Nash chose the inland beach at Maumee Bay State Park as the site to build their nest?

2. How does putting bands on birds help protect the species?

3. Read the headline again. How does the headline summarize the story?

4. Do you think Piping Plovers will return next summer to the same location?