Hampton Beach Home To Endangered Piping Plover Bird

HAMPTON, NH — Beachgoers looking to beat the heat this season may see endangered birds raising their young on New Hampshire beaches and dunes. According to NH Fish and Game, groups of the endangered piping plover chicks have been seen in Hampton and Seabrook and three more nests are expected to hatch this month. Officials encourage residents to watch for the birds and not disturb them.

According to Fish and Game, the piping plover is endangered in New Hampshire and threatened nationally. Their breeding habitat is fenced off with yellow rope to indicate their presence to those visiting the beach. The fenced-off area allows the bird mates to nest and raise their young.

"Our goal is to protect these rare birds during their breeding season and manage the beaches for both people and wildlife," said Brendan Clifford, biologist with the Fish and Game Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program who oversees the piping plover protection efforts in the state. "It becomes a challenge for the unfledged chicks toward the end of June and into July as beaches become more crowded."

Piping plover chick are able to walk and feed on their own just a few hours after hatching, according to Fish and Game. Their first few weeks after hatching are the most crucial, because the chicks are very small, hard to see, extremely vulnerable to natural predators, including gulls, crows, foxes and domestic animals like cats and dogs.

"Once the chicks are 25 to 30 days old, they can fly to escape from danger," said Clifford, "so we can take down the fences and open up the beach for full recreational use."

Humans can represent a major threat to endangered birds. The chicks are not restricted to the fenced-off areas around the dunes, and the adults often move them up and down the beach to better feeding areas, often close the the tide line, according to Fish and Game. The buff-colored chicks are hard to see, so beachgoers can unknowingly cause them distress or even step on the chicks.

Fish and Game is working closely with beach managers to coordinate beach raking and plover protection. Since the young piping plover chicks cannot fly and often squat down when they feel threatened, vehicles on the beach are a major threat to their survival, according to Fish and Game.

Here is how beachgoers can help the piping plover chicks survive to adulthood, according to Fish and Game:

• Watch where you step — a plover chick's defense is to freeze when people get close, which makes them harder to see. The chicks are about the size of a cotton ball and are light-colored, blending in with the sand.
• Keep your dogs on a leash — dogs can step on eggs and chase after chicks and adult plovers. Check with beach management about rules pertaining to dogs. Some beaches have restrictions.
• Fill in holes — holes in the sand create traps for tiny chicks who cannot yet fly
• Volunteer — After the chicks hatch, Fish and Game can use some volunteers to help monitor them. To participate, call Fish and Game's Piping Plover Monitoring Program at 603-419-9728.

More information about the piping plover in New Hampshire can be found on the Fish and Game website, which also offers information about the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program.