EXTRA...

MA Audubon's Coastal Waterbird Program is a Soaring Success

2008 Season Wrap-up: Mass Audubon’s Coastal Waterbird Program Is a Soaring Success

Sandwich a top success story

   Least tern and fledgling, photo by George Mclean.

by Gina King, Mass Audubon

Mass Audubon’s Coastal Waterbird Program (CWP) is one of the most effective entities working to protect coastal birds and barrier beaches in New England. The CWP was launched in 1987 in response to declining populations of piping plovers and terns in Massachusetts, with the primary objective of protecting these species’ nesting areas throughout the state. This is accomplished each year through cooperation with government and nonprofit groups, private and public landowners, Mass Audubon members and volunteers, and the public. Here are some highlights from the 2008 season—a banner year for these fragile species.

Plovers on the Rebound

CWP staff conducting least tern census. Program volunteers count least tern nests at Spring Hill Beach in Sandwich. That day, 115 least tern nests were counted. Photo by Becky Harris.

It was definitely the summer of the plover! Mass Audubon’s Coastal Waterbird Program (CWP) monitored and protected the highest number of piping plover pairs in its history—264 pairs—and those pairs produced more chicks—353—than CWP managed sites have ever fledged. The average fledging rate was 1.34 chicks per pair; this is above the 1.24 fledglings/pair estimated required to maintain a stable population.

“Overall, it was a very successful year,” said Becky Harris, director of the Coastal Waterbird Program. “The piping plover pairs that we protected represent about 15% of the entire Atlantic Coast population.”

Least Tern Population on the Rise

The least tern population is on the rebound in Massachusetts with an estimated 3,660 pairs (CWP monitored and protected approximately 2,515 pairs) nesting in the state. The census period for least terns in Massachusetts is from June 5-20 and there were 39 sites with active tern colonies this year.

Now in its third year, the CWP’s least tern foraging study is a long-term effort to understand changes in least tern diet and fisheries stocks over time and in various locations.  Study results show that food does not seem to be a limiting factor for the least tern population, and that predation is probably the number one problem for the colonies that the CWP manages.

CWP field assistants Susan Lyons (left) and M. Taylor Long practice color band reading during the roseate tern resighting training, held on Bird Island, Buzzards Bay. Photo by Becky Harris.

To help keep mammalian predators away, eight arrays of electric fencing were erected around the least tern colonies on the South Shore and on Cape Cod at Dead Neck Sampson’s Island in Osterville. Some of these efforts proved successful; however, electric fencing is very labor-intensive and some predators, such as rats and feral cats, cannot be effectively managed. That is why educating the public about the importance of leaving their cats indoors is particularly important and something that the CWP staff emphasizes.

New Successful Beaches for Breeding Birds

Sandwich

Sandwich was a top success story this year, where 43 pairs of piping plovers produced 89 chicks on seven beaches. These beaches include a mix of public and private beaches, most of which receive heavy public use, including illegal dogs, bonfires, and fireworks. The Town of Sandwich made progress this year with implementing nighttime patrols midway through the season at Town Neck, its most popular beach. These efforts were helpful in educating people about the Endangered Species Act and what the CWP is doing to help the plovers.

Winthrop Beach

Piping plover and three chicks. CWP protects and monitors almost half of the entire state's population of piping plovers. Photo by John Van de Graaff.

For the first time, piping plovers nested successfully on Winthrop Beach and soon after the plovers settled least terns also arrived and fledged several chicks. This was partly due to staff and volunteers from the CWP and other organizations talking with beach-goers about the need to protect the plovers, as well as, daily monitoring and adjusting of fencing and signage.

“Thanks to extraordinary efforts by monitors from the New England Aquarium, in cooperation with the Department of Conservation and Recreation and Mass Audubon’s Coastal Waterbird Program staff and volunteers, these urban plovers had some of the highest rates of fledging success on the entire Atlantic coast,” said Harris.

Yirrell Beach, Winthrop

Piping plover chick. Photo by John Van de Graaff.

A piping plover pair also nested at this beach for the first time. The nest survived the town’s annual July 3 bonfire celebration, thanks to the Town of Winthrop.  The town’s fire department made the bonfire smaller, and department of public works staff moved the fire far away from the nest and erected barriers to keep the plovers safe during the celebration. An increase in police presence also helped with crowd control, and kept foot traffic and fireworks away from the nesting area.

“Overall, it’s been a great year,” said Harris. “Beach-goers who had never heard of piping plovers had a chance to see these engaging birds up close, and think about coastal ecology and conservation in ways they might never have before.”

Read more about the Coastal Waterbird Program on the Mass Audubon website here.