A piping plover chick pauses on Ogunquit Beach in June. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

The number of breeding pairs of piping plovers on Maine beaches was down this year, but the fledged chicks they produced surpassed the state’s recovery goal for the endangered shorebird.

Despite severe winter storm damage that washed away dunes on beaches along the southern coast, the plovers began arriving on schedule in March and were staking out nesting territories by mid-April, according to Maine Audubon, which monitors the plover population.

Over the course of the season, 143 breeding pairs were documented on Maine beaches, a number that fell short of last year’s record of 157 and ended the six-year long streak of record-high numbers. But last year only 201 chicks survived until fledge age, the lowest productivity since 2007, according to Maine Audubon.

This year, the plovers fledged 237 chicks for a productivity rate of 1.66 chicks per pair, which surpasses the state’s recovery goal of 1.5. Nine beaches from Wells to Georgetown fledged more than two chicks per pair, data from the Audubon shows.

“Knowing that our productivity numbers are back on track is reassuring, even with fewer breeding pairs. Many of those fledged chicks will return to beaches and help grow our breeding population for future years,” said Laura Williams, a Maine Audubon wildlife biologist.

Williams said the number of fledged chicks was exciting, but so were other successes: a new nesting site was spotted at Timber Point in Biddeford, plovers nested on two Casco Bay islands for the second consecutive year, and plovers returned to Hunnewell Beach in Phippsburg and Indian Point in Georgetown, spots where the birds hadn’t nested since the 1990s.

Three beaches in Scarborough saw the most fledged chicks since monitoring began in 1981. Pine Point had eight fledged chicks, Scarborough Beach State Park had 10 and Western Beach had 27. Williams said the high numbers on Western are likely a result of expanded habitat following a dredge last winter that replenished the beach with sand.

Over the years, dogs and predators on the Scarborough beaches have affected the plover population, but a strong volunteer presence has helped raise awareness about the birds, leading to better outcomes, Williams said.

Maine Audubon Coastal Bird biologist Erin Campbell monitors plover chicks on Ogunquit Beach in June. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

PROTECTING PLOVERS

Piping plovers are listed as endangered in Maine and are considered threatened along the Atlantic coast. On average, roughly 2,000 pairs nest on beaches from North Carolina to Newfoundland each year.

The tiny birds can be spotted skittering at the ocean’s edge or on mudflats, searching for worms, bugs and other invertebrates. When they aren’t foraging, plovers nest in the transition area between dunes and sandy beaches.

Plover chicks are so small they are often described as cotton balls on toothpick legs. Within hours of hatching, they’re moving all over the beach. They are under constant threat of predation by both wild and domestic animals. They are also vulnerable to especially high tides and human interaction.

As the plovers started to arrive in Maine last spring, there was some concern about the impact storm damage would have on their ability to nest. But piping plovers returned to the sandy beaches and did well anyway. In one area, plovers found new nesting areas where sand was pushed by storms over thick dune grass. In other areas, they nested in cave-like areas under dune scarps, Williams said.

A piping plover walks back up toward the dunes from the water line on Ogunquit Beach in June. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

“The plovers can be pretty creative,” she said.

Last year, nesting plovers were negatively impacted by predators and by high tides that washed over nests, taking out young chicks and forcing the birds to build new nests. This year, plover monitors didn’t see as much tidal overwash, leading to early nesting success that gets chicks off the beach before the biggest summer crowds arrive, Williams said.

She said another big reason that things went well this year is the involvement of the state, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, local towns and volunteers who work together to monitor the birds, educate the public about them, put up fencing and signs around nesting areas, and enforce regulations that protect the birds. There were no major issues this year with nesting areas being disturbed or destroyed, she said.

After summer, the plovers migrate to the Caribbean for the winter.

‘There is a lot that’s out of our hands that can happen during that time,” Williams said. “That’s why it’s crucial to do everything we can to protect them while they’re on our beaches breeding in the summertime.”