May 1st
FIRST NEST OF THE SPRING!
On Tuesday 5/1, I found a piping plover nest, complete with four beautiful blue-speckled eggs, in the fenced enclosure at the State beach on the Nassau Point causeway. This is the first clutch of the spring at any of the 18 sites we are monitoring.With the timely assistance of Michelle Gibbons and her crew from DEC, an exclosure was erected around the nest within 2 hours of the discovery. (Michelle was on her way to Nassau Point for a routine inspection when I called.) The eggs should hatch in about 25 days, so stop by and observe.
NFAS is monitoring two additional pair, at Breakwater in Mattituck and at Gull Pond in Greenport, but no eggs at either so far. If you would like to participate in monitoring these sites, or any other near you, contact Tim Bohen at 749-3489 or by email at tbohen@optonline.net.
Tim Bohen
May 2nd
The Town of Riverhead passed a resolution to contract with NFAS to monitor endangered beach nesting species of birds on three town beaches: Miamogue Point, Simmons Point, and Jamesport Town Beach. Miamogue comes complete with a fenced, exclosed nest with four eggs. Jamesport Town Beach has a fenced area with one exclosed nest with four eggs, and a second nest, not yet exclosed, which had three eggs as of last Friday. On that day, a third pair was seen on the east side of the playground. With some luck, these broods will hatch and fledge by July fourth. We will set up a monitoring schedule. If you would like to participate, contact Tim Bohen at tbohen@optonline.net.
Tim Bohen
May 4th
Linda and I spent most of the morning looking for Plover on north facing beaches. Particularly Horton's to Duck Pond Pt.
We noticed two Suffolk County Park people at the camp string fencing just west of Kennys. Inquiring how the season was going for them, they told us that there are two pairs of piping plover on their beach and they have started to scrape nest sites.
The park workers names were, James & Heather, who work for Suffolk Parks ESP. There are currently four eggs at Cedar Beach as well as at Nassau Pt. beach. Their boss is Nick Gibbons the husband of Michele Gibbons of the DEC.
Conclusion:
Not a certainty but probably the Plovers seen at Kenneys yesterday were foraging birds from the County site. This is good because they are better off there than at crowded Kennys.
Rick Kedenburg
May 6th
As of the end of April, NFAS is monitoring four pairs of piping plovers on Southold beaches. Three sites have string fencing erected, and one has an exclosure around a nest with four eggs.
In May, three additional sites, in Riverhead, will be added, at least one of which has plovers.
Tim Bohen
May 8th
Looking for Plover this afternoon on sound beaches we noticed many more off road - ATV - tire tracks. ATVs seem to be entering Kenney's Beach from the extreem western end, going over a low dune. After that they seem to go up to Horton Point. They always begin and terminate at the west end of Kenney's parking lot.
Need something to impead access there.
The other area is west of Goldsmith's inlet. Not much to do there as there is easy access from the boat ramp. Perhaps some Town signage as to no motorized traffic on the beaches.
No piping plover seen, and with traffic on the beaches there is not likely to be any.
Rick Kedenburg
May 19th
NOT JUST PLOVERS ANY MORE!
As of May 19th, NFAS is monitoring nine pair of piping plovers and one additional individual. Eight of the pairs are in fenced areas and five are within exclosures.
The past week was marked by the return of significant numbers of other shore birds, especially least terns, another species we are monitoring. Many area beaches had at least a few terns, and Breakwater had over 100 on the morning of the17th.
Other sightings included approximately 200 terns, mostly common terns, at Gull Pond on the 15th, and small flocks of ruddy turnstone, black-bellied plover and semi-palmated plover were foraging at various sites around Cutchogue Harbor.
Although not within our monitoring area, one other sighting should be mentioned. During the Faunathon on the 20th, Tom Damiani and I found five piping plovers together on a thirty foot stretch of beach at Mashomack Point, along with two semi-palmated and one black-bellied plover. There is virtually no nesting habitat at that spot, and we speculated they had flown across from Cedar Point to feed.
Tim Bohen
May 24th
Exploring the Shore
One of the great pleasures for me in the Endangered Species Program has been the opportunity to find new and beautiful birding sites which abound in our communities and another is sharing these sites with other birders. Some of the sites we are monitoring are the obvious ones, and easy to find: Breakwater and Goldsmith Inlet for example. Others are more secluded, and a number of them are on privately owned land or accessible only by crossing private property. I needed help to find some of the sites, and called on Jody Levin, one of the more experienced local birders. On 5/24, Jody and I, along with Carolyn Spilman, the recently hired Audubon regional Conservation Coordinator, set out to find some sites I had not yet visited, and see what birds might be present. The weather was wonderful, the birding was pretty good, and the company congenial. One thing we discovered right away was that the GPS unit in Jody’s car was immensely helpful. Even more so were Jody’s contacts in the community. Almost every site I proposed as a target got the response “I know someone who lives right near there.” Several homeowners greeted her by name, and despite the inevitable Private Road Do Not Enter signs, we were able to access and survey all six sites on our planned itinerary.
The following is a report on the survey of six sites covered by the NFAS contract with the Town of Southold, conducted on 5/24. Participants were Jody Levin, Carolyn Spilman and Tim Bohen .
Conklin Point: This is a long peninsula curving into the bay just west of Greenport. It is reached by a footpath between several houses, and the area is marked as private. Much of the beach is composed of small rocks, but eventually becomes sandy. We observed two piping plovers apparently involved in nesting behavior, including a classic “broken wing” display. We observed one plover feeding near the shore line, for a total of three birds identified on the site. We were unable to locate actual nests with eggs.
Some twenty-plus Least Terns were on the site, with many involved in courtship behavior, including scraping and copulation. No nests were observed.
The area occupied by both species is isolated from any housing. In addition, it is so far from the only land access that moving any protective equipment would be difficult, unless done by boat directly onto the beach. I would recommend that we discuss with DEC a plan for continued monitoring, but not erect exclosures unless we discover the presence of predators.
Paradise Point: A single house at the end of a small point that that erosion has left less than idyllic for nesting birds. We found no birds at all. We were told by a photographer on the point that a number of terns had been there, but no piping plovers.
I would recommend periodic monitoring to confirm the lack of nesting birds.
Angel Shores is a very private development, with a shoreside park included. There is no beach between the high tide line and developed land, thus no apparent possible bird habitat. I would recommend that no further monitoring is necessary.
Kimogener Point is a private bungalow community with houses fronting the shore and several groind. We observed no terns or plovers on the beach. The houses are far enough from the water that there seems to be potential habitat.
I recommend continued, periodic monitoring to determine the presence of nesting species.
Marratooka Point is a crowded bungalow community with narrow properties separated by seas walls. In combination with a steep shallow beach, there does not seem to be much available nesting habitat. No birds were seen here. I would recommend that infrequent monitoring would be sufficient.
Down’s Creek is a refuge maintained by the Town of Southold, consisting of a salt marsh separating the shore from New Suffolk Avenue. We were unable to identify beach access through the marsh. Scanning by scope from the road was insufficient. I will contact the Town to determine an access point.
Tim Bohen
May 28th
The first chicks have hatched!
Four piping plover chicks were seen this morning scampering around the Little Creek site on the Nassau Point causeway. This sighting was reported by Tom Killip, one of the newest members of the plover monitor team. The parent birds were first seen incubating a clutch of four eggs on 5/1 and hatched their chicks twenty-seven days later, in text book timing.
Tim Bohen
May 31st
As of the end of May, we are tracking 10 pairs of piping plovers. Six of the pairs are under exclosures. Two of the six pairs have hatched four and two chicks, respectively, on 5/27 and 5/30. However, two of the chicks from the larger brood have not been seen since 5/30.
Tim Bohen
June 4th
Good news to report. After riding by Goldsmiths & Kenneys Beaches, the rain let up (about 3:15) so I headed over to Jamesport. At Miamogue, the birds were obviously not on the nest. I found them about 50 feet west of the west edge of the fencing taking cover in a patch of beach grass. Both adults were present. I was able to observe all 4 chicks which I would say were 2 or 3 days old. The female was brooding them periodically and the male was keeping an eye on me.
At Town Beach (the East nest), the chicks hatched very recently; I would say most likely starting this morning. As I watched, the male led the first two hatchlings out of the exclosure and down to the wrack line. Another tiny chick was still in the exclosure just trying out its legs. The female appeared to be brooding the 4th chick, but I cannot be 100% sure it was OK. So 3 confirmed chicks for now.
To safely approach the West end chicks, I had to head overland beyond the concession stand and approach from the far end so that I did not disrupt the East chicks. My hunt was successful as I was able to observe both adults and 3 (possibly 4) chicks. The male was chasing a crow and 3 herring gulls, so he was very easy to spot. The female and chicks were further away from the edge on a higher part of the beach. The female was brooding the chicks two at a time, so it was like the old shell game when I attempted to count. These chicks were obviously older than the East nest chicks by at least 4 or 5 days, so we should be able to keep track of the two different clutches.
Terns at both sites were doing the dive bombing act trying to scare me out, but I did not see any actual eggs as yet. Several birds were sitting in scrapes.
At Kenney's there was a flock of mixed Common and Roseate Terns, at least 14 Roseates. From what I could see there is no habitat there for the plovers. The upper beach has been "replanted" in dune grass and there is only a few feet between there and the high tide line. Considerable erosion has been going on between there and McCabes which makes me think a survey would be a waste of time in this section.
At Goldsmith's Inlet again almost no open upper beach. Just east of the inlet, it looks as if DEC has put up symbolic fencing, but half the poles were actually in the water. Not a good sign. We may still need to check the area from the inlet to Peconic Dunes Park.
Bev Prentice
June 6th
Jim Romansky and I checked the Jamesport plovers. It was not the ideal time of day, 2 pm, but since it had been so nasty in the morning, and still fairly cool at 2 pm, the birds were all busy feeding.
At Town Beach, the newest chicks (East nest), were all accounted for. We observed both adults and 4 tiny chicks only about 30 feet from the exclosure, and all were feeding at water's edge. Again approaching the second pair from "around the back" going past the concession stand, we were able to observe the West birds. Both adults were present, but only 3 chicks.
At Miamogue, the birds had moved even further west. There was one adult with 3 chicks feeding. We spent a good amount of time just observing and standing still, but did not see the second adult or the 4th chick.
The Least tern colonies at both sites showed evidence of nesting. We were able to see at least one clutch of eggs at each site, and 4 or 5 birds sitting in scrapes at each.
Bev Prentice
June 7th
102 Least Tern Nests at Breakwater in Mattituck.
Plus a big BONUS!
We discovered another pair of Plovers and found their nest with four eggs. The nest site will be exclosed by the DEC tomorrow. It is currently unprotected and west of any string fencing. Good thing we found it before the weekend.
Rick, Linda, Tim & Ruth
June 8th
I arrived at Miamogue in Jamesport this morning at 8:30 am. The first plover sighting was of one adult that flew out over the water and as far east as I could see with my binoculars. Another adult was with 3 chicks that were feeding near the snow fence at the west edge of the fenced area and about 20 - 30 feet from the water's edge. It was low tide and there was lots of wrack along the beach. There was no wind, and the bay was like glass.
At Town Beach, Jamesport, my observations started at about 9:30 am. There was a certain amount of disturbance as several people were walking along the beach, and a crew of three town workers were picking up trash. This may be why I was able to observe only one group of plovers, two adults and 3 chicks that were going in and out of the grassy upper beach. I thought that I would be able to distinguish between the two family groups at this beach, but I am not certain which group it was that I saw. I could not find the second group, and left at about 10:15 am.
Least tern numbers were about the same as previously noted.
Bev Prentice
June 9th
Miamogue
There was no wind at 6:44am but the fog prevented easy visibilty. Visibility was between 100-200'. Both adults seen. One tried to distract me by flying between me and the others even though the others were 150' away.
The other adult was brooding 3 chicks at the grassy spot they like to hide in. Four least terns were seen sitting in scrapes. There was no one else on the beach.
On 6/7 my wife, Sandy, and I were sitting on the beach near the washed out chain link, reading our newspapers at 5:00pm. The adults came to within 15-20' and the 4 chicks came to within 12' of us!!!! Thre was no one else on that side of the beach.
Jamesport Town Beach
6:00am. Same weather conditons as above. Two adults were just outside the exclosure that is nearest the water. One was brooding 3 chicks. That golden lab, Topby, and his owner (the dog was not on a leash) came onto the beach from the back, via the sandunes, to the east of the fence and they went to the mouth of East Creek. I couldn't find nor hear the other family.
Jim Romansky
June 11th
Miamogue 6:30am
One adult plover was seen brooding 3 chicks and two terns were sitting on scrapes. When I returned to my truck a person sitting in his car reported that an osprey landed on the beach at water's edge right in front of the cars.
Jamesport Beach 7:00am
One pair of adult plovers were seen near the snow fence--no young were seen.
A third adult flew in ten minutes later and was driven off. The pair were flying around making a constant weep-weep call that I've never heard before.
Do you think they may renest?
Halfway down the beach towards East Creek, a single adult plover was seen with two young. They are getting big. They came out of the dune, I think because I saw the two dogs (the 2 usual labs) and their masters leaving the beach.
There were 13 least terns sitting on scrapes!!!!!!! A Great Black-backed gull flew low over the scrapes and the terns all flew up in a tizzy.
Jim Romansky
June 14th
Miamogue
One adult seen with 3 young. It later brooded 2 chicks.
No terns on scrapes.
Jamesport Beach
One adult seen near the water by the snowfence. the other adult was near the #2 exclosure with 2 chicks.
14 Least terns were on their scrapes.
Jim Romansky
June 14th Status Summary
Twelve pair of Piping Plover are currently being monitored on eight different sites. Ten pair have established nests, and nine sites have been protected by string fencing or wire exclosures. Five of the pairs have already hatched twenty chicks. Although some chicks have been lost (presumably to weather and predation), at least eleven are still under observation.
Least Terns are nesting in significant colonies on at least six sites, in some cases numbering over one hundred individuals and forty to fifty nests. It is still too early for eggs to hatch.
Tim Bohen
June 15th
Miamogue
The previous tide must have been very high since the wrack line was only 10 feet from the pavement. It was 8 feet inside the string fence at the south end and up to the fence along the west side. It reached almost up to the houses at the far end.
Two plover chicks were seen with one adult. I didn't see the third chick.
The adult brooded one. Three least terns were on scrapes, thre may have been more but I didn't want to proceed down the beach and disturb the brooding chick.
Jamesport Beach
The wrack line was halfway up to the string fence and it appeared that the entire point near the creek mouth was under water during the last high tide.
Two plover chicks were seen with one adult halfway between the end of the string fence and the creek mouth.
I thought I heard the winnowing call as I first entered the beach from the parking lot. I didn't find that pair until I was leaving the beach. They were on a scrape RIGHT UNDER THE STRING between the second and third fence posts. They were being chased by the terns if they got too far into the fenced area and they are almost underfoot if one approaches the string fence. There were no eggs in the scrape. I called Tim and Bev regarding what to do. Tim didn't answer and Bev said we must wait until they lay eggs before we call DEC to move the exclosure.
There were 15 least terns on scrapes and they were very agressive. As I walked alnog the beach, halfway between the water and the fence, they continually dived at me. Once I passed the exclosure of the 2nd pair, their agression ceased.
Jim Romansky
June 16th
Miamogue 8:00am
The previous high tide was very high again with the beach being up to the houses at the far end and within 15 feet of the parked cars at the near end.
No terns were seen on the scraps and perhaps a dozen were along the shoreline some of them in pairs.
Two adult plovers were seen with two young. This is the second day I didn't observe the third young one. Perhaps it is lost. A second pair of plovers were seen on the beach and were individually chased off (one on one)by the resident pair. Perhaps they were the renesting pair from Jamesport Beach since I didn't observe them there. They both flew off towards Timmons Pt.
Jamesport Beach 8:20am
The previous high tide was half way up the beach again. The point at the creek's mouth was completely covered again.
A single adult plover was seen with 2 young halfway betwee the point and the end of the string fence.
The second pair that was observed on the a scrap yesterday was not seen today and I think that was the pair chased of by the resident pair at Miomogue. The original scrape contained no eggs and there were two other scrapes near it, also without eggs.
There were 14 or 15 least terns on scrapes inside the string fence.
Jim Romansky
June 17th
Miamogue 7:00am
Hooray A single adult plover was seen with THREE young. I missed it the last 2 days.
No least terns were seen on scrapes but several were along the water's edge.
The tides weren't as high last night but we did have a gentle shower for several hours last night.
Jamesport Beach 7:20am
A single aadult was seen with two chicks halfway between the string fence and the point. It was very busy chasing off another pair of adult plovers.
I wonder if that was the pair that was chased off of Miamogue yeaterday.
Later, upon returning, I heard and saw an adult plover winnowing over the snow fence.
15 least terns were seen sitting on scrapes. The tide was only half as high as the last two nghts and I'm not sure how much of the point was covered.
Jim Romansky
June 18th
Miamogue 6:45am
There was an extremely heavy thunder and lightening storm which lasted about 1/2 hr. Two chicks were seen in the dunes near the curve in the fence, with one adult, the chicks seemed to be waking up and then preening. A third chick was seen 5 min. later when the others went to the wrack line. The adult chased off another pair of plovers.
No terns were seen on scrapes. Only a few were seen along the water and flying.
Jamesport 7:05am
Only one chick was seen with an adult about halfway between the string fence and the point. Another adult was seen at the point. Both adults were heard giving the single piping call. There was fresh tire tracks seen at the point. When the bird at the point flew to the other adult, they acted like a pair. But when I was leaving the beach, and was near the snow fence one adult bird was flying about giving a call similar to a goldfinch.
There were 17 last terns siting on scrapes---up 2 scrapes from before.
Jim Romansky
June 18th
Today (6/18), I visited the Little Creek site on the Nassau Point causeway. This plover pair was the fist nest discovered this spring. Four chicks hatched on 5/27, and two remain. The chicks are maturing rapidly, and have lost their down to feathers. I observed them stretching and flapping their wings in clear anticipation of flight. One adult was perched atop a small boulder, about three feet off the ground. One of the chicks tried to fly up, and flapped its wings as part of a jump, but without effect. Projected fledge date for these chicks is 6/22, they won't be around much longer.
I returned to Conklin Point, trying to relocate a two-egg nest I discovered on an earlier visit. Two adult plovers were in the area, and displayed a lot of distractive behavior, including broken wing, but I was unable to locate a nest. Approximately 50 Least Tern occupied the same space, and their aggressive behavior made the search more difficult. It's hard to pay attention to your footsteps and watch for plovers when terns are buzzing about your head. However, further around the point, I found two adult plovers with two chicks, a pair we were not aware of. The chicks appear 7 to 10 days old.
I visited the Corey Creek site at the mouth of Richmond Creek, where four chicks were hatched on 6/12. I observed both adults and all four chicks, feeding and moving busily around the area.
Jim Romansky reports today on observing three surviving chicks out of four hatched at Miamogue, and two of four surviving from one clutch at Jamesport Town Beach. All four from the second clutch there appear lost.
Ruth Levine reports the first pair at Mattituck is still incubating. All four eggs from the second pair are missing.
So far this spring, at least 22 chicks have been hatched on sites we are monitoring, and at least 13 have survived this long. We are monitoring two pair for possible renesting, and DEC fenced three new nests last week, two on Timmons Point and one at Little Creek, so these numbers are far from final.
Tim Bohen
June 19th
Miamogue 5:45am
One adult plover was seen with 3 chicks near the exclosure. A black cat was hunting in the grass behind the exclosure.
No least terns were seen on scrapes. One pair was flying overhead and one was carrying bait.
Jamesport Beach 6:05am
One adult Plover was seen with only one young, halfway between the string fence and the point. I fear that that is all that is left of both broods.
Another adult was seen near the nest #2 exclosure.
There were 18 least terns seen on scrapes---up one scrape from yesterday
Jim Romansky
June 20th
Miamogue 5:10pm
Due to the rain, I waited until evening to check the birds. One adult plover was near the turn in the string fence just sitting as if on a scrape. One young was nearby close to the water. The other young was halfway down the beach, standing in chest deep water, bathing for several minutes. No third chick was seen after 20 minutes.
No terns were on scrapes.
Jamesport Beach 5:40pm
One adult plover was seen near the #2 exclosure. Just standing there for 20 minutes. After I passsed it and walked to the point, I heard a pipe and turned and saw a second adult with it. A couple was walking in front of me.
I eventually saw a third adult near the point it flew off over the water towards Miomogue. No young were seen. Perhaps the coiuple flushed it into hiding, but none of the three adult birds seemed to be acting in a protective manner.
18 least terns were on scrapes.
Jim Romansky
June 21st
Miamogue 6:45am
Two adult plovers with three chicks were seen at the curve in the string fence at water's edge. One adult seemed to drive off the other adult.
No terns were seen on the scrapes. And very few were seen in the air or along the beach.
Jamesport 7;00 am
One adult plover was seen on the dune near exclocure #2 . It seemed forlorn with it neither moving nor taking any distracton behavior. I walked to the point and didn't see nor hear any more birds. The plover chicks could be all dead because I don't think they could fly yet or I've just missed them for the second day.
Jim Romansky
June 22nd
I was a Miamogue at 7:40 am and observed 3 chicks and on adult plover. Great news with the chicks. They were flexing their wings and taking running jumps into the air. They still have sort of fuzzy looking plumage, but are getting close to adult size.
There was one LETE that could have been on eggs about 5 or 6 feet up the beach from the fencing, close to the No Dogs sign.
At Town Beach about 8:40 am, no chicks observed. One adult plover was very near the exclosure # 2 and piping. I backed up thinking it might have eggs, but it did not appear to go to them. As I watched (for about 20 minutes) it walked northwest about 40' where it encountered another plover which gave chase. I then watched that bird, but it simply preened and stood still as I observed. There were lots of plover tracks in that section of beach, but when I walked northwest toward the creek, I saw no more plover tracks.
The LETE count was between 15 and 18 that appeared to be nesting with about another 25 birds in the area and along the water's edge. All nests seemed to be inside the fenced area.
Bev Prentice
June 23rd
Checked Miamogue this morning at 8 am. One adult plover and 3 chicks were observed. The adult and two chicks were sheltering from the wind in the fenced area next to some vegetaion. The third chick was feeding on the wrack line about 20 feet away. One least tern appeared to be on a nest. I observed the mate bringing a fish. This nest is about 12 feet north of the No Dogs sign.
At Town Beach (8:20 am), I continue to see one adult plover in the fenced area. I spent a full half hour observing this bird to see if there was a nest; none seen. After the half hour this bird flew west toward the creek, encountered another plover, and they both continued flying west as far as I could see.
There were about 20 least terns nesting, with another 15 or so in the area, bathing or bringing in fish. Several gulls including one greater black back were close to the fenced area and being harassed by the terns.
Bev Prentice
June 25th
At Miamogue this morning at 7:30, I was able to observe one adult and one chick Piping plover feeding at the wrack line. Another chick was in the fenced area resting. Did not see the 3rd chick, but it may have been in the vegetation. Chicks are close to adult size and sporting juveline plumage.
Just one Least tern nest is in the fenced area. There was one on the nest and two more adults in the area.
At Town Beach one adult plover was again in the fenced area near the #2 exclosure. I walked to the creek and back seeing no additional plovers. Then the adult started doing a territory flight looping out over the water. He came so close to me that I could hear the sound of the wing beats. He was making what I call the winnowing sound and circling for about 5 minutes. Two more adults approached walking up to the exclosure #2. The first adult approached them and chased chest down wings and tail extended. They took off flying west.
Least Terns are still present and noisy; I counted 22 adults on nests. So far no chicks that I could see. Another 15 - 20 adults were in the area delivering food or resting at water's edge.
Bev Prentice
June 27th
At Miamogue this morning, 8 am, all three chicks and one adult Piping Plover were in the fenced area. The chicks look almost fully grown and ready to fly soon.
There were no Least terns on nests at miamogue making me think that as soon as the plovers fly, we will want the fencing down.
At Jamesport Town Beach, I did see 2 adult plovers, but they were not doing any distraction behavior or territory behavior even though I observed for about 30 min. Least terns are going strong with 20 nests observed.
Bev Prentice
June 29th
At Miamogue this morning at 9 am, all three plover chicks were present with one adult. One chick flew about 10 feet. The other two were stretching their wings and feeding. No terns on eggs that I could see.
At Town Beach, 2 adult plovers present, but no nests. Least terns -- about 23 on nests and lots of feeding going on just offshore.
At Town Beach there were new tire tracks near the creek, thankfully not close to the terns.
Bev Prentice
July 2nd
Late June/Early July Summary
Many Surprises!
The final two weeks of June were the second time period for the DEC shorebird census, with emphasis on Least Terns. While conducting the required data for this part of he project, several surprises were found. On 6/21, I returned to Meadow Beach for a followup visit .On 6/7, I had found a busy beach, with nesting osprey, many gulls of several species and 50 to 60 Least Tern, many in scrapes on the low dune. On the second visit, I found one Greater Black-backed Gull. That's all I found. There were no other gulls nearby. The osprey nest was deserted. There were no terns on the beach or nearby in the air. I checked with Tom Damiani, who recalled a similar happening at Meadow Beach in a recent year. Can anyone offer any clue to what caused this exodus?
On a more positive note, on 6/26, Carolyn Spilman and I went to Conklin Point in an attempt to locate a Piping Plover nest which I believed to be there but which had not been located. Despite our careful search, we never did find it, although two adults displayed many distracting behaviors, including a "broken wing" display. We did, however, find two other adults on a separate section of the Point with four chicks, who seemed about 7-10 days old. This was a family we had not seen before, and did not know they were nesting on the Point.
On 7/2, another surprise. I visited the beach on the causeway leading to Nassau Point, expecting to see the two chicks there practicing their flight. Unfortunately, I found only one of the adults and neither chick. Instead, I discovered a family of two adults with four chicks, a family previously unknown to us.
These two "bonus broods" bring this year's number of hatched Piping Plover chicks up to 28. As of today, at least 17 survive. We are monitoring three other active nests, and will continue to search for the second pair on Conklin Point.
Tim Bohen
July 4th
At Miamogue, I did not see Piping Plovers, although I did hear one briefly, and there were numerous tracks along the wrack line. There were 5 Least Terns, none nesting.
At Jamesport Town Beach, the usual 2 adult Piping Plovers were feeding with no sign of a nest. The Least Terns were even more aggressive than usual with good reason; some of the chicks have hatched. I counted 4, but there were surely more that I did not see. I counted 58 adults and about 22 nests.
Bev Prentice
July 6th
At Miamogue this morning I saw an awe inspiring sight. I had reported on my last visit saying I did not see any plovers. This morning I walked west almost to the bulkhead and did see 3 juvenline and one adult feeding in a dense wrack line with lots of fresh seaweed. As I watched, they did some vocalizing then took flight and flew over a half mile away and out of sight. I can't be sure they are the ones from this site, but it was wonderful to see this new generation just being birds.
At Town Beach, some of the tern chicks are getting fat. There were the usual number of adults sitting on nests (about 23) but also four chicks that I could see. (Doubtless more are present, but I was not anxious to get any closer.)
Bev Prentice
July 6th
Okay, I know it's not one of the sites that NFAS is responsible for monitoring but I thought that the following was interesting enough to report any way.
At Cedar Beach in Southold this morning there were 18 piping plovers, 14 on the mud flats and 4 foraging the wrack line along the barrier beach. A wonderful site and the most I've personally seen at once.
John Sep
July 8th
Piping plovers at Cedar Beach now total 22!
John Sep
July 15th
Jamesport Beach
Fifteen young were seen of various ages. Most were in the grasses and three were seen near the water's edge. Twenty one adults were seen on scrapes.
One piping plover was seen in the usual spot near the berm crest near exclosure 2.
Jim and Ian Romansky
July 17th
The cloud cover in front of the sun and the low angle made the visibilty for the gray color of the chicks very difficult to differentiate from the sand color. Only 5 chicks were seen. None were very young. Two "teenagers" were down by the water and the rest (who seemed younger) were inside the string fence. !5 adults were eventually seen on the nests. They were, at first flying around, even though there was no one on the beach and I was nowhere near the string fence. There were 5 cowbirds (two males and three females) walking around the nesting area. I observed for about 25 minutes.
Jim Romansky
July 22nd
Cedar Beach Southold
160 least terns, over 100 hundred adults, the rest first year birds in various stages. One small group before the osprey nest on the point, one very large group after the osprey nest and another large group out on the mud flats.
5 piping plovers out on the mud flats, at least two were immatures.
John Sep
July 24th
Since the last census there were two days of very heavy rain. The creeks were at flood stage and the tides were high but not spring tide level.
Two "teenage" chicks were seen near the water. Four more teenagers were seen inside the string fence and also two fuzzballs, about a week old.
There were 9 adults on nests and about 11 in the air.
One pair of adults were feeding each other so I guess we'll have a very late nesting from them.
Jim Romansky
July 27th
Cedar Beach Southold
"Only" 158 least terns today.
11 piping plover out on the mud flats, I would say about half adults, half immatures.
John Sep
July 28th
There were 8 adults on nests and three chicks (about a week -2 weeks old) inside the string fence. There were 3 chicks near the water with about 10 adults. There were 5 herring gulls near the water and chicks. There was a flock of 27 herring gulls near the life guard stand. I hope they weren't enjoying Tern Tetrazinni.
Jim Romansky
For more information, or to participate in the monitoring project, contact Tim Bohen at 749-3489 or at tbohen@optonline.net.