Greetings. The shorebird season is beginning to change, thus this is an
appropriate time for an overdue update on Piping Plovers marked in The Bahamas
last winter by an Environment Canada project directed by Cheri Gratto-Trevor,
cheri.gratto-trevor at ec.gc.ca .
Through the extraordinary efforts of many individuals with an interest in
shorebirds and their conservation, 38 of the 57 marked Bahamas plovers have
been resighted and confirmed in breeding areas along the North Atlantic coast
from North Carolina to Newfoundland. Thus, a remarkable 67% have been resighted
at least once. A 39th bird was seen on migration in north Florida, but has not
been re-sighted on breeding grounds to date.
By state and province the present tally is:
14 MA, 10 NY, 3 RI, 2 NJ, 2 VA, 2 New Brunswick, 1 NC, 1 ME, 1 Nova Scotia, 1
Newfoundland, 1 CT, 1 FL. One plover initially located in the Montauk area of
NY moved to Sandy Hook, NJ. That individual is credited to NJ. That Prince
Edward Island, MD and DE have not resighted a Bahamas bird is somewhat
remarkable.
There have been recent indications of Bahamas plovers "on the move." An
individual not previously seen in a closely-monitored area near Coney Island,
NY was the 38th bird resighted on breeding grounds. This individual appeared
not to have breeding interests. Another plover had a failed nest on mid-Cape
Cod, MA and moved off the Cape to Plymouth and thereafter to Duxbury, MA. Thus,
a Bahamas plover may turn up at a beach near you. A spotting scope remains the
best method to spot and confirm a marked plover (or other shorebird).
Please report any plover sightings to Cheri Gratto-Trevor at the e-address
above. Pictures of Bahamas plovers and a primer on how to report the color
bands remain at:
http://cvwofirstlandingspk.blogspot.com/2010/02/piping-plovers-of-bahamas.html ;
GOOD LUCK!
Peter Doherty
leasttern at hotmail.com
Virginia Beach, VA
