The Snowy Plover Chronicles
Every year, a new spring arrives. At Pajaro, volunteers spend several months helping a little creature – the Western Snowy Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus. The Snowy Plover, weighing between 1 to 2 ounces, is on the Federal Endangered Species List primarily because it has lost vast areas of its habitat due to human intrusion. Volunteers all along the West Coast participate in a program to assist the Snowy Plover in surviving and regaining its population.
Over the next few months, the Friends of Pajaro Dunes will maintain a weekly log of activities and progress of the Snowy Plover on beaches at and around the Last Mile.
Log Entry, April 28
The total population of Western Snowy Plovers on the entire California Coast is estimated at slightly less than 1500, of which 62 were counted at Pajaro Dunes and Zmudowski Beach. With so few birds, the work of the volunteers is critical is assisting the Snowy Plover to recover to non-critical levels.
The nesting areas at Pajaro and Zmudowski are blessed with relative isolation. The sandy area at the end of the slough and the mouth of the Pajaro River is far away from parking lots. Beachgoers prefer the beach areas along the houses or closer to the ocean beach. This isolation, combined with the symbolic fence, allows the Snowy Plover to quietly nest along the Last Mile. Its population seems to be trending up which is very encouraging. |
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Symbolic fence and sign surrounding Snowy Plover nesting area. |
With so few numbers, many residents and visitors may never really see a Snowy Plover. Less sophisticated bird watchers -- like this author -- may confuse the Sanderling with the Snowy Plover. The Sanderling, part of the Sandpiper family, is roughly the same size as the Plover but has a longer bill. Sanderlings travel in small groups along the shore and forage at the wave line. Sanderlings are less timid than the Snowy Plover and will typically tolerate people walking by. In the next few weeks, Sanderlings will begin their migration north to nest in the Arctic Tundra.
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Snowy Plover |
Sanderling |
Even though there were no hatchings to date, this week was a wonderful week for finding new nests. 6 new nests were found with one loss for the week. The unofficial tally is now a total of 18 active nests with 36 eggs. In order to make it easier to keep track of the progress of each nest, the table below has been added to track weekly progress.
Volunteers are beginning to pace as expectant godparents waiting for the first arrivals. After a late start, things are looking very promising.
Snowy Plover Population Source: Gary Page, Year 2003 Breeding Season Snowy Plover Survey Of California Coast
