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	Piping Plovers in New Hampshire

Piping Plovers

by Stephen R. Mirick

Five pairs of piping plovers returned to nest on New Hampshire beaches for the second year in a row in 1998. This endangered species has suffered serious declines over the last 50 years due to the increased use of beaches by humans. Last year, only three chicks survived the season, but this year, a good total of twelve chicks were successfully fledged from five nests along Seabrook beach. Volunteers from the Audubon Society of New Hampshire and the local communities joined biologists from the state of New Hampshire Fish and Game's Non-game and Endangered Wildlife Program and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to help increase the odds for these birds and their chicks. The piping plovers faced many problems during the summer, including a bad storm in June when six inches of rain fell in one day and dangerously high tides came to within ten feet of the nest sites! Predators such as skunks, dogs, gulls, and especially little kids were also a concern. Volunteers constructed cages to protect the eggs, and signs and protective fences were put up to protect the birds. Pamphlets were also handed out to the public to teach people about the plovers. The birds have headed south for the winter, but they will be back again next spring. Take a day next year and go visit these rare birds along the seacoast!