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June 8, 2007

Piping plovers on Rhode Island's beaches, too

The same kinds of restrictions declared on two Cape Cod beaches after federally protected piping plover nests were discovered exist on Rhode Island beaches as well.

Because the birds are federally protected, landowners – whether private, state or federal owners – are ultimately responsible for the birds’ safety, according to Suzanne Paton, wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for the Rhode Island National Wildlife Complex.

Extra: Piping plovers cutting revenue at 2 Cape beaches

When the birds were first listed on the federal protection list in 1989, only about 10 pairs of plovers existed in South County and 10 on the Nature Conservancy property in Little Compton, Paton said. Now, there are 58 pairs in South County and more than 10 on the Nature Conservancy property, Paton said. She’s not sure how many are on the Nature Conservancy property.

Around Rhode Island, Paton said the birds are found on Goose Wing and Briggs beaches in Little Compton, which are part of the Nature Conservancy property; on Trustom Pond, the national wildlife refuge in South Kingstown; the Ninigret Conservation Area in Charlestown; and on several privately owned South County beaches.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Some private landowners have signed memoranda of understanding with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for the federal agency to put up signs and protective fences near the birds so they can nest safely.

The male plovers arrive first in the spring, around April, and fly figure eights over the beaches, searching for an area they think will be suitable for nesting, Paton said.

They’ll scratch depressions in the sand marking those areas, attract females and then leave the nesting-spot selection to the females.

If the birds mate, they work together to line the nests with little bits of stones and shells, and the female lays four eggs. Both the male and female will incubate the eggs, which take 28 days to hatch.

Once they’re hatched, the chicks run down to the water’s edge to search for food but get easily spooked if people are around and run back to the safety of the nest before setting out again on a search for food. They do better on more isolated beaches, Paton said, because they need the food for the energy to build up flight feathers. They can’t fly for about 25 days after they’re born.

The restrictions on beaches with piping plovers include no vehicles and certain dog restrictions, Paton said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:29 PM | Permalink

June 8, 2007

Piping plovers on Rhode Island's beaches, too

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