Piping Plover Week 9 Update

Baby is a Bob!

On Sunday, July 7, Baby was banded. His code is X,B/O/B:O,B (I say that he is a Bob because of the triple split Blue/Orange/Blue band). The number 270 appears on his blue band, and a green dot appears on the orange band just above. These are his chick bands, and if he establishes a nest next year, he will be captured and banded as an adult.

Baby on July 8. Photo by Stephanie Owens

To catch Baby for banding, a team of eight people formed a U shape around the plover family on the beach. We slowly crept in, corralling the single chick to the water. Four people were in possession of chick catchers, which are small circular hoops covered in fabric meant for dropping lightly over a chick. Once at the water’s edge, Baby was easily captured and placed inside a little fabric bag. Then, the banding process commenced, and we watched as the little colored bands were placed on his legs. Once his bands were secured, it was time to return him to his parents. Vie had been flying around frantically during the process, and Little Bill Bob was peeping persistently from up by the dunes. We walked towards Bob and released Baby on the ground. He scurried towards his father, and the family was reunited.

I like to say Baby is a big kid now because he has received his bands, and his physical condition is starting to reflect that sentiment. His plump figure may be attributed to his status as an only child because he has no siblings with which to compete for resources. The feathers on his wings are developing, and soon enough he will be flying around the beach like a maniac.

Bunny, a new addition to the Piping Plover crew at the Point. Photo by Stephanie Owens

Plover affairs outside of the family are becoming interesting as well. On July 10, I spotted a new female, her codes being Of,bN:X,Y. She and Lover Boy were hanging near the Seney property’s eastern edge. I heard L.B. before I saw either of them, as he enthusiastically performed flight displays. A sight like this so late in the season generates a repressed excitement. Wow, this single male may be courting a new female…but what’s her side of the story? I learned that she is the female from Vermillion’s Nest 1, named Bunny. Her chicks were banded the same day Baby was. She must be on her way south for the winter and made a pitstop at the Point.

For the next two days, I observed Lover Boy attaching himself like glue to Bunny’s side. Wherever I saw her on the beach, he was always a few steps away.  I began to wonder if she was considering him as a potential new mate. A female rearing a second brood within a single season has happened once before in the Great Lakes. One should be very cautious when entertaining these thoughts though, and not get their hopes up as the likelihood of an event like this is low.

Lover Boy was not the only one stirred up by Bunny’s presence. Wybie has also been called to action and engages in very loud flight displays when she is near. Once, I saw him gallantly fly around her, peeping his heart out, and land beside her on the beach as she foraged. In the seconds to follow, he awkwardly stood waiting for some response. When Bunny continued foraging without notice, Wybie flew off towards the cobble farther into the beach.

~ Stephanie Owens
2024 Piping Plover Monitor

Featured photo: “Baby” on July 11. Photo by Stephanie Owens