Natural History Wanderings

From Park E-ventures, March 2016

A Record-High Number of Plovers: What Does It Mean?

Among the dunes and the wide, sandy shores of Ocean Beach and the Crissy Field Wildlife Protection Area lies the overwintering grounds for one of the 37 federally endangered or threatened species in the Golden Gate National Parks—a six-inch shorebird called the Western snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus).

On January 26, our colleagues at the National Park Service observed 104 plovers at Ocean Beach, a record number since they began monitoring populations in 1994 (one year after the species was listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as federally threatened).

According to Dr. Bill Merkle, wildlife ecologist for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the average count at Ocean Beach is in the low- to mid-20s per survey. “[Spotting] 104 birds is four times what we’ve normally seen over the last 20 or so years,” he says.

To see rest of story go to  A Record-High Number of Plovers: What Does It Mean?