Since my last blog post, the fourth and final Piping Plover nest has hatched. Unfortunately, only one of the three eggs hatched. The two unhatched eggs were turned over to the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team and determined to have not developed. Also, since my last blog post, 10 of the 11 chicks on the beach have been banded. This allows them to be individually identified throughout their lives. If they make it through the winter and return to nest somewhere in the Great Lakes, we will be able to know precisely where they came from. Several chicks from last year have been found nesting in places like Green Bay and Vermilion Point.
The two eggs taken to the captive rearing facility in June have also hatched. Hopefully, in the next several weeks, they will be able to be released. The first two plover broods fledge on July 24 and 26. Once they reach this point, they will be able to fly. Stay tuned to see how many fledge.
Other shorebird activity continues with Least, Semipalmated, and Baird’s Sandpipers and Whimbrel continuing to migrate through. The first Red-necked Grebes of fall migration were observed today. Singles of Red-throated Loon and Hooded Merganser have also been neat waterbird sightings recently.
~ Alec Olivier
2022 Piping Plover Monitor
You can keep up with the Piping Plovers at the Point by reading Alec’s blogs or following WPBO on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).
You can also check out the video from 2021 featuring the Piping Plovers at the Point.
