Another peek at the piping plover

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This week, we revisit an endangered species we’ve discussed before – the piping plover (Charadrius melodus).   There’s good news about these little shorebirds.  Thanks to several cooperative efforts between wildlife management agencies and organizations, the population of the piping plover has increased from 790 pairs when listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1986, to nearly 1800 pairs today (getting ever closer to the recovery goal of 2000 pairs).  One of the innovative methods of conservation includes protecting wintering grounds, rather than just focusing on breeding grounds (Pover 2013).

When I worked for the U.S. Coast Guard (CG), one of my responsibilities was to encourage protection of endangered species on CG property.  One of the most memorable animals we encountered was the Piping Plover at the CG facility in Cape May NJ.  The staff at the facility really worked hard to protect these little birds, which wasn’t always easy.  Piping plovers scratch nests into beach sand and lay their camouflaged eggs in these scrapes.  The eggs are particularly vulnerable to predators, such as gulls, foxes, raccoons, and domestic cats.  Another danger for the eggs and hatchlings is nest abandonment by the adult birds, due to disturbance.  Thus, protection of the plovers is not always popular, because some beaches must be closed during nesting season.  The folks at Cape May did a great job of public education to encourage protection of these little birds – they even held a plover 5K run!
Here are some interesting facts about piping plovers:

• Plovers eat insects, spiders, and crustaceans
• Piping plovers are migratory birds.  For the Atlantic coast population, adults lay eggs all along the Atlantic coast during the spring and summer.  Two other populations lay eggs on the shores of the Great Lakes area and on the shores of rivers and lakes in the northern Great Plains.  The piping plovers spend the winter on the Gulf coast or more southern regions.
• Adults lay 4 eggs in April or May, and the eggs hatch in about 25 days.
• The first decline in the plover population was due to excessive hunting for the millinery trade during the early 1900s.  After the population recovered to a peak population in the 1940s, beach development and human disturbance again threaten the population.
• The little plover chicks are so cute!  As you can see from the above picture, they look like little dust balls on long legs!

As we’re in the middle of the summer beach season, what can you do to protect piping plovers?  From the U.S. FWS:

• Respect all areas fenced or posted for protection of wildlife.
• Do not approach or linger near piping plovers or their nests.
• If pets are permitted on beaches used by plovers, keep your pets leashed. Keep cats indoors.
• Don't leave or bury trash or food scraps on beaches. Garbage attracts predators which may prey upon piping plover eggs or chicks.
• Write to your congressional representative regarding a bill reintroduced by Rep. Jones (R-NC) (H.R. 819).  The goal of this bill is to block implementation of a National Park Service plan that protects beach-nesting piping plovers and sea turtles from vehicles at Cape Hatteras. High vehicle traffic on Cape Hatteras beaches interrupts nesting and feeding patterns and can kill plovers and turtles.  (Pepper, 2013)

Sources:
Pepper, Elly.  2013.  “January/February 2013 Threats to the Endangered Species Act.”  NRDC Switchboard.  Accessed 3/4/2013.  http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/epepper/januaryfebruary_2013_legislati.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+switchboard_epepper+%28Switchboard%3A+Elly+Pepper%27s+Blog%29

Pover, Todd. "Partnering for piping plover: a conservation success story."Endangered Species Bulletin Summer 2012. Gale Science In Context. Web. 8 Feb. 2013.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  2012.  “Piping Plover, Atlantic Coast Population.”  Accessed online: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/pipingplover/overview.html

Endangered Species Act– the “Readers Digest” version

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Every week, greenmomster includes an “endangered species of the week.”  But what exactly do we mean by “endangered species”?  Usually when we refer to an “endangered species,” we’re referring to a species that has been listed as “threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a law passed in 1973 when Richard Nixon was president.   The goal of the ESA is to “protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.” (USFWS 2013).  The law has been very successful over the past 40 years, with under 1% of the 2054 internationally listed species (1,436 are found in the U.S.) going extinct during that time (Defenders of Wildlife n.d., USFWS 1/2013).   The law is administered by both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) (they usually handle terrestrial and freshwater organisms) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (they usually handle the marine species).  Here are a few facts about how the law works:

1. If a species is listed as “endangered,” it’s in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.  If a species is listed as “threatened,” it’s likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.
2. Species are listed only based on biological status and threats to their existence.  USFWS and NMFS consider 5 factors when deciding whether to list a species:
   • is the species’ habitat threatened with damage or destruction?
   • is the species being overused for educational, recreational, commercial, or scientific purposes?
   • is the species threatened by disease or predation?
   • is the existing protection inadequate?
   • are there other natural or man-made factors that threaten the existence of the species? (USFWS, 1/2013)
3. If the agencies determine that, based on the above questions, the species should be listed as threatened or endangered, the species is then protected from any kind of “taking.”  A “taking,” according to the ESA is harassing, harming (including killing or injuring), pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, or collecting a listed species or attempting to engage in any such conduct (USFWS 1/2013) .
4. The ESA includes special requirements such as writing a recovery plan, specific requirements for Federal agencies, as well as programs that encourage private landowners to protect endangered species.

But here’s the most important fact about the Endangered Species Act – IT’S A SUCCESS!  Not only have only 1% of listed species gone extinct, but according to the Center for Biological Diversity (in their report, “On Time, On Target: How the Endangered Species Act Is Saving America’s Wildlife”), 90% of species are recovering at the rate set out in their Federal recovery plan.  Not too shabby!  But there’s more work to be done – many species still need Federal protection.  In previous posts, we discussed misconceptions about endangered species, the 100 most endangered species in the world, and a few endangered species success stories, such as the bald eagle and the piping plover.   If you’d like to learn more about how the Endangered Species Act is administered, be sure to check out the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fact Sheet.

Sources

Center for Biological Diversity.  n.d.  “110 Success Stories for Endangered Species Day 2012”  Accessed 3/21/2013.  http://www.esasuccess.org/index.html

Defenders of Wildlife. n.d.  “Endangered Species Act”  Accessed 3/21/2013.  http://www.defenders.org/endangered-species-act/endangered-species-act-101

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  2013.  “ESA Basics.  40 Years of Conserving Endangered Species.”  January 2013.  Accessed online 2/21/2013.  http://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/pdf/ESA_basics.pdf

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  2013.  “Endangered Species Program.”  Last updated 2/11/2013.  Accessed 3/21/2013.  http://www.fws.gov/endangered/laws-policies/index.html

Another Peek at the Piping Plover

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This week, we revisit an endangered species we’ve discussed before – the piping plover (Charadrius melodus).   There’s good news about these little shorebirds.  Thanks to several cooperative efforts between wildlife management agencies and organizations, the population of the piping plover has increased from 790 pairs when listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1986, to nearly 1800 pairs today (getting ever closer to the recovery goal of 2000 pairs).  One of the innovative methods of conservation includes protecting wintering grounds, rather than just focusing on breeding grounds (Pover 2013).

When I worked for the U.S. Coast Guard (CG), one of my responsibilities was to encourage protection of endangered species on CG property.  One of the most memorable animals we encountered was the Piping Plover at the CG facility in Cape May NJ.  The staff at the facility really worked hard to protect these little birds, which wasn’t always easy.  Piping plovers scratch nests into beach sand and lay their camouflaged eggs in these scrapes.  The eggs are particularly vulnerable to predators, such as gulls, foxes, raccoons, and domestic cats.  Another danger for the eggs and hatchlings is nest abandonment by the adult birds, due to disturbance.  Thus, protection of the plovers is not always popular, because some beaches must be closed during nesting season.  The folks at Cape May did a great job of public education to encourage protection of these little birds – they even held a plover 5K run!

Here are some interesting facts about piping plovers:

• Plovers eat insects, spiders, and crustaceans
• Piping plovers are migratory birds.  For the Atlantic coast population, adults lay eggs all along the Atlantic coast during the spring and summer.  Two other populations lay eggs on the shores of the Great Lakes area and on the shores of rivers and lakes in the northern Great Plains.  The piping plovers spend the winter on the Gulf coast or more southern regions.
• Adults lay 4 eggs in April or May, and the eggs hatch in about 25 days.
• The first decline in the plover population was due to excessive hunting for the millinery trade during the early 1900s.  After the population recovered to a peak population in the 1940s, beach development and human disturbance again threaten the population.
• The little plover chicks are so cute!  As you can see from the above picture, they look like little dust balls on long legs!

As we look forward to the summer beach season, what can you do to protect piping plovers?  From the U.S. FWS:

• Respect all areas fenced or posted for protection of wildlife.
• Do not approach or linger near piping plovers or their nests.
• If pets are permitted on beaches used by plovers, keep your pets leashed. Keep cats indoors.
• Don't leave or bury trash or food scraps on beaches. Garbage attracts predators which may prey upon piping plover eggs or chicks.
• Write to your congressional representative regarding a bill reintroduced by Rep. Jones (R-NC) (H.R. 819).  The goal of this bill is to block implementation of a National Park Service plan that protects beach-nesting piping plovers and sea turtles from vehicles at Cape Hatteras. High vehicle traffic on Cape Hatteras beaches interrupts nesting and feeding patterns and can kill plovers and turtles.  (Pepper, 2013)

Sources:
Pepper, Elly.  2013.  “January/February 2013 Threats to the Endangered Species Act.”  NRDC Switchboard.  Accessed 3/4/2013.  http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/epepper/januaryfebruary_2013_legislati.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+switchboard_epepper+%28Switchboard%3A+Elly+Pepper%27s+Blog%29
Pover, Todd. "Partnering for piping plover: a conservation success story."Endangered Species Bulletin Summer 2012. Gale Science In Context. Web. 8 Feb. 2013.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  2012.  “Piping Plover, Atlantic Coast Population.”  Accessed online:  http://www.fws.gov/northeast/pipingplover/overview.html

What’s not to like about the Red Knot?

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This week’s endangered species is the Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa), a small bird with a 20 inch wingspan that makes an incredible migration each year.  According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the FWS status assessment report, the Red Knot migrates approximately 9,300 miles each year, from Tierra del Fuego north to its breeding grounds in the central Canadian arctic, and then back again!   Upon reaching the breeding grounds, the birds form breeding pairs and establish nesting territories.   Like piping plovers (discussed in an earlier post), the Red Knots create nest scrapes and lay usually 4 eggs per nest over 4 to 6 days.  After the eggs hatch (about 22 days later), the female abandons the brood, while the male remains with the chicks in wetlands habitats until after fledging (about 25 days after hatching).* 

Red Knot populations are currently very depleted and the Calidris canutus rufa was named as a candidate for Endangered Species Act protection in 2006.  When Red Knots migrate, they make several stops along the way, in order to “fuel up.”  These feeding stops are critical to the survival of individual birds during the migration, breeding, and wintering.  One of the major “pit stops” for the red knot is the Delaware Bay, where the birds feast on high-protein horseshoe crab eggs.  Since the 1990s, the horseshoe crab population has declined, due to increased use of horseshoe crab eggs in the conch and eel fisheries.  This decline in horseshoe crab eggs is believed to be a primary reason for the at least 50% drop in Red Knot population.  Fishery closures and declines, as well as beach closures and exclosures to reduce competition from gulls, are some of the actions being taken to protect the Red Knot.  Unfortunately, one of the other suspected threats to the Red Knot, warming temperatures in its breeding grounds, won’t be addressed until we get serious about climate change.*

If you’d like to learn more about the red knot and horseshoe crab, be sure to check out this terrific program by PBS/Nature.

Watch Crash: A Tale of Two Species on PBS. See more from Nature.

 

*  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  May 2007.  Status of the Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) in the Western Hemisphere.

A Block Island Endangered Species

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Since I just returned from a fun-filled vacation to MA and Block Island, RI, this week’s endangered species is the American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) (photo from the SD Field Office of the FWS).  This nocturnal, orange and black beetle is the largest of the 32 species of burying beetles found in North America, usually 1 to 1.5 inches.  Talk about a unique lifestyle!  Here’s how the Center for Biological Diversity describes how the beetles mate and protect their young (activities that occur from April to September, but mostly in June and July, according to the NY Department of Environmental Conservation):  The American burying beetle is “uniquely dependant upon quail-size carrion weighing 100-200 grams [1, 15]. Males smell freshly dead mammals and birds (and occasionally even fish) within an hour of death and up to two miles away. Females arrive shortly thereafter, attracted by male pheromones. A competition ensues and is typically won by the largest male and female. Lying on their backs, the winning couple inches into an excavated burial chamber. During this time, orange phoretic mites borne by the beetles leap to the carcass, cleaning it of fly eggs and microbes. The buried carcass is relieved of its feathers, feet, tail, ears and/or fur. Now known as a "brood ball," it is coated with oral and anal embalming secretions to retard fungal and bacterial growth. The beetles then mate and within 24 hours lay eggs in the soil near the carcass. White grubs emerge three or four days later and are carried to the carcass. The parents also defend the grubs from predators and feed them regurgitated food. The American burying beetle is one of the few non-colonial insects in the world to practice dual parenting. In approximately a week, the grubs leave the chamber and pupate into adults.”  So cool!

The American burying beetle used to be found from Nova Scotia, through the midwest, and down to Florida and Texas.   Unfortunately, the population has declined by 90% from its historical distribution.  Scientists hypothesize that species decline is due to habitat loss and fragmentation, leading to a decline of the beetle’s carrion source. 

So what does this have to do with Block Island, RI?  Well it turns out that Block Island is the home to the only population of American burying beetles east of the Mississippi river.  These beetles can be found at Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, along with other endangered species, such as the piping plover, and the largest gull colony in Rhode Island.  We didn’t see any of the beetles while we visited the island, but maybe we’ll see them next time!

 

[1] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1991. American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) recovery plan. Newton Corner, MA.

[15] Stevens, J. 2005. Conservation of the American burying beetle. CommuniQue, September, 2005:9-10.

Endangered Species of the Week–Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)

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photo from U.S. FWS

When I worked for the U.S. Coast Guard (CG), one of my responsibilities was to encourage protection of endangered species on CG property.  One of the most memorable animals we encountered was the Piping Plover at the CG facility in Cape May NJ.  The staff at the facility really worked hard to protect these little birds, which wasn’t always easy.  Piping plovers scratch nests into beach sand and lay their camouflaged eggs in these scrapes.  The eggs are particularly vulnerable to predators, such as gulls, foxes, raccoons, and domestic cats.  Another danger for the eggs and hatchlings is nest abandonment by the adult birds, due to disturbance.  Thus, protection of the plovers is not always popular, because some beaches must be closed during nesting season.  The folks at Cape May did a great job of public education to encourage protection of these little birds – they even held a plover 5K run!

Here are some interesting facts about piping plovers:

• The Atlantic population is estimated at about 2000 pairs (U.S. FWS)
• Plovers eat insects, spiders, and crustaceans
• Piping plovers are migratory birds.  For the Atlantic coast population, adults lay eggs all along the Atlantic coast during the spring and summer.  Two other populations lay eggs on the shores of the Great Lakes area and on the shores of rivers and lakes in the northern Great Plains.  The piping plovers spend the winter on the Gulf coast or more southern regions.
• Adults lay 4 eggs in April or May, and the eggs hatch in about 25 days.
• The first decline in the plover population was due to excessive hunting for the millinery trade during the early 1900s.  After the population recovered to a peak population in the 1940s, beach development and human disturbance again threaten the population.
• The little plover chicks are so cute!  As you can see from the above picture, they look like little dust balls on long legs!

As we head into the summer beach season, what can you do to protect piping plovers?  From the U.S. FWS:

• Respect all areas fenced or posted for protection of wildlife.
• Do not approach or linger near piping plovers or their nests.
• If pets are permitted on beaches used by plovers, keep your pets leashed. Keep cats indoors.
• Don't leave or bury trash or food scraps on beaches. Garbage attracts predators which may prey upon piping plover eggs or chicks.