Drumroll, please!
The moment you鈥檝e all been waiting for (whether you knew it or not): Babies!
This is undoubtedly our favorite time of year, and we hope that it brightens your day a little bit. Despite the challenges this season has brought with cool rainy weather and an overabundance of predators, some of the piping plovers at Fowler Beach were able to hatch their nests.
This nest was partially hatched at the time of this nest check, and you can see the empty eggshell off to the side. The parents will take that shell and deposit it away from the nest before returning to warm their fresh chicks, helping them to dry off and become the cute little cotton balls we all know and love. The chicks鈥� best defense is their camouflage, which at this young age they utilize to the best of their ability by plopping flat anytime their parents call out 鈥渄anger!鈥�.
While this helps them hide from predators, it makes them really easy to unknowingly step on, so only trained biologists are permitted to monitor these little guys at our densely populated site.
Piping plover chicks are precocial, which means that they鈥檙e up and running and feeding themselves within 24 hours of climbing out of their egg. They鈥檒l still stay close to their parents who provide warmth, shelter, and guidance. Adults will lead their chicks to good foraging areas and defend them from predators while they learn and grow for the next 25-ish days.
It鈥檚 important to give these guys space so that they don鈥檛 spend their days running from people, vehicles, or pets. An off-leash dog is a plover chick鈥檚 worst nightmare. Not all plover chicks are lucky enough to live inside a closed area like Fowler. Beaches all along the Atlantic Coast are home to piping plovers in the summertime. At this stage in their lives, the chicks need every advantage we can give them. If they鈥檙e spending all their time running, they can鈥檛 grow!
We鈥檝e included some bonus cuteness in this issue. Piping plovers aren鈥檛 the only ones who make Fowler Beach their home 鈥� we have the state鈥檚 largest and most productive colony of least terns!
What鈥檚 even more exciting: this is the first documented hatch of an American Oystercatcher nest at Fowler Beach.
From March 1 to September 30, Fowler Beach is closed to public access to prevent disturbance to nesting birds and their young as well as migrating shorebirds like the red knot. Please obey all posted signage and avoid entering areas that are marked as closed so that vulnerable wildlife, plants, and their habitats can thrive!
