Summer 2021: Snowy plover docents are back
The Snowy Plover docent program restarted this summer for prior docents. While the program may have been suspended in 2020 due to COVID restrictions, Matt Lau, the program manager and Snowy Plover Ecologist for Point Reyes National Seashore has continued to update the volunteer “ploverites” with news (and adorable videos!) What a thrill to finally get back out on the beach with my fellow docent volunteers, Alena and Joan, on August 14.
Overall, it’s been a good year for plover breeding. In the weekly update, Matt reported 33 total nests this season as of 8/20/21:
17 hatched
16 failed nests (The main predator continues to be common ravens.)
10-12 chicks on the beach
16 chicks fledged
I was impressed to learn that Matt had single-handedly posted the extensive network of beach closure ropes and signage throughout the park. He stopped by to checkin with us at our docent table before going back to band some newly hatched chicks. One chick had just hatched and Matt was waiting for the other egg to hatch. It’s amazing how he is able to calculate exactly when they will hatch by examining and weighing the eggs. He shared a video of the newborn chick exploring and somersaulting which was hilarious and made my day. Yay, new life!
The video by Matt Lau shows a very tolerant adult female who stayed within a foot of the banding team and even brooded the chicks while the team banded each chick one by one! I love the quiet trill of her calls and how she fluffs herself up to settle onto the chicks. The striping on the chicks lets them blend into their sandy environment. You can see that her nest is exposed and would be easy to accidentally step on or easy pickings for a predator. Matt enclosures the nest area in wire fencing to protect it. The holes are large enough to allow the plovers to go in and out but large enough to keep out predators. LINK COMING SOON
Snowy plover docents Lena and Alena at north beach