Piping plovers return to Revere Beach

REVERE – They’re back.At least three piping plovers, a species of tiny shore birds threatened with extinction, are nesting in a protected area of Revere Beach.Piping plovers were first sighted last year along the relatively urban stretch of shoreline, giving naturalists reason to believe the species may be gaining in numbers.Two pairs of plovers were also discovered two weeks ago at the Winthrop Shore Reservation, the first-ever recorded sighting of the species in that location.The tiny birds typically nest off the beaten track, which makes the Revere and Winthrop nests a potential sign that the urban beaches are becoming healthier.”We were thrilled last year when a pair of piping plovers chose Revere Beach to raise their brood,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles. “This year, we’re doubly excited that these rare and engaging shorebirds not only returned to Revere, but also nested at Winthrop Shore. For two years in a row, one of America’s most popular urban beaches has played host to a species ranked as threatened on both the Massachusetts and the federal Endangered Species Lists – this is positive news for renewal of our historic coasts.”Members of Mass Audubon, staff from the New England Aquarium, and employees from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) have been keeping watch over the nests.According to Bowles, three chicks in Winthrop recently fledged from one nest, and three more chicks are expected to fledge from a second nest soon. The Revere Beach nest also produced three chicks, which have not yet fledged, he said. Twine fencing has been erected to symbolically protect the nests from foot traffic before the eggs hatch and provide a refuge for chicks until they are flying well.”Success has everything to do with the beachgoers in Winthrop and Revere,” said Susannah Corona, assistant curator in the Fishes Department at the New England Aquarium. “We put up stakes, twine, and a few signs. But the beach users have taken it upon themselves to give the birds the space they need and to self-police the few individuals that might have caused problems. Once they start getting to know the birds, people can’t help liking them, even though they do cause a great deal of inconvenience at times. In return, we hope the birds will bring attention to urban beaches as valuable components in wildlife management strategy.”The state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife in concert with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have been working together to restore the once dwindling piping plover population. Monitoring programs have found that the state’s piping plover population grew from 139 breeding pairs 20 years ago to 557 pairs in 2007.A final tally of 2008 nesting pairs in Massachusetts will be available in the fall. Along the entire Atlantic Coast, the species went from 722 breeding pairs in 1985 to 1,887 last year, according to a preliminary count by the USFWS.Massachusetts supports nearly 15 percent of the world’s population of piping plovers – small, sand-colored shorebirds that nest on sandy coastal beaches and dunes from Newfoundland to North Carolina. Other nest sites in Massachusetts include Chatham’s South Beach and South Monomoy Island, Sampson’s Island and Sandy Neck in Barnstable, Crane Beach in Ipswich, Duxbury Beach, Eastham’s Coast Guard Beach, and Race Point in Provincetown.