State officials are reporting another record nesting year for one of Delaware’s endangered seabirds.
Populations of the tiny, sand-colored, beach-nesting bird known as the piping plover are continuing to grow in Delaware.
The species has had a third straight record nesting year - breaking the federal long-term productivity rate goal of 1.5 fledglings per breeding pair. 21 pairs produced 51 fledglings, according to the Delaware Department of Natural resources and Environmental Control (DNREC).
DNREC Coastal Avian Biologist Henrietta Bellman says this indicates a positive trend. but she adds there’s still more work to be done to get the species to a sustained level of 2,000 breeding pairs along the entire coast, and removed from the federally threatened species list.
“Yes we are moving in the right direction, absolutely, in terms of conserving and delisting the species, but we shouldn’t become complacent just because of one year of good productivity—particularly because we know there will be annual variations,” said Bellman.
Last year was the first time the species reached 2,000 breeding pairs along the entire coast. Bellman says five consecutive years could mean the bird is removed from the federally threatened list.
Bellman notes much of the successful breeding of piping plovers in Delaware has been at Fowler Beach, but she adds areas like Gordon's Pond still do not have nests - likely a result of too much vegitation.
DNREC has partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in recent years to preserve piping plover habitat at Delaware beaches. And Bellman says as Delaware’s beaches erode, more efforts may go into manipulating the coastline to preserve habitat.
“It might mean that we have to start either removing some vegetation to sustain those areas of nesting habitat. Or think about creating some additional nesting areas,” she said.
Bellman notes least sterns and American oystercatchers - which are also monitored by the state - are also breeding in Delaware, but without the same productivity as the piping plover. Two pairs of oystercatchers did not hatch chicks. 59 pairs of least sterns produced eight fledglings.
