Species Monitoring - Snowy Plover

Snowy Plover Listing Maintained –
the Service Encourages County-by-County Conservation Measures

On April 21, 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) decided not to delist the Pacific Coast Population of Western Snowy Plover under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service should be commended for basing this decision on the best available science.

At the same time, the Service issued a proposed 4(d) rule under the ESA to encourage the development of habitat conservation plans, conservation agreements or management plans at the county level to meet the recovery goals established by the Western Snowy Plover Recovery Plan. If these plans are developed and approved, the Service would lift the prohibition on incidental take (i.e. one of the key protections that has been in place to protect the plover).

Audubon California and partners are evaluating the potential impact of the 4(d) rule, specifically whether the proposed rule’s stated purpose of encouraging local conservation measures is adequate to protecting this species. Audubon will provide comments during the 60 day comment period.

In finding that delisting is not warranted “due to continued existence of threats to the [Pacific Coast Population of the Western Snowy Plover] and its habitat.” The Service “found significant progress has been made toward bringing the species back to health,” although “there is still a decline when compared to historic breeding population numbers.” The overall increases in plover numbers since the 1993 listing can be attributed to management actions currently being implemented on the West Coast. The challenge is that plover population size is low overall, and plovers are absent from many of their historic breeding sites in Washington, Oregon, and California.

The Service found that the Pacific Coast Population is markedly different from interior and other populations of Western Snowy Plover because of the extremely low instance of interbreeding and very different behavior patterns. The Service also found that the Pacific Coast Population represents a significant portion (20 percent) of all Western Snowy Plovers and is threatened within its coastal range. The current population of coastal Snowy Plovers is approximately 2,300 breeding adults, 90 percent of which are located in California.

For more information about the listing decision and proposed 4(d) rule, go to:
http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-SPECIES/2006/April/Day-21/e3792.htm
http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-SPECIES/2006/April/Day-21/e3793.htm

Western Snowy Plover - Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus

by Daniel S. Cooper, former Director of Bird Conservation, Audubon California

Federal Threatened Species - California Species of Concern

The Western Snowy Plover is a sparrow-sized shorebird that breeds and winters on sandy beaches from Washington to Baja California, Mexico. The vast majority of its population is in California, with large numbers nesting on the Channel Islands and little-visited beaches along the Central Coast. In a state that sees exceptionally high summer use of its beaches (including the widespread use of beach-grooming trucks to level the sand), the species is long gone as a breeder from many of its historical nesting sites, including most of southern California.

It is most widespread in fall and winter, and "off-season" beachgoers may spot birds foraging among kelp near the high-tide mark, or roosting together on sandbars around estuaries. In general appearance, it closely resembles the Sanderling, a sandpiper that runs back and forth following the waves. However, the Snowy Plover plucks food off the ground, and doesn't stick it's bill into the sand. Also, it has a distinctive "run-stop-run" behavior similar to a Killdeer, and different from Sanderlings, which are constantly moving.

Breeding populations of Snowy Plovers have been monitored since 1977 by Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO). Each summer, volunteers, including many Audubon members, have collected data on nesting success from sites around the state. During the 1990s, this project was expanded to include actively managing plover nesting areas, working with multiple partners (e.g. California State Parks) using a combination of signage, fencing and human "guards".

We recommend the following activities within the range and habitat of Snowy Plovers:

• Steer clear of plovers and their nests if you see them, and avoid eye contact with the birds.
• Do not linger near obviously roosting or nesting plovers, especially near fenced or signed areas.
• Observe nesting plovers from a distance, with a spotting scope or binoculars. Approaching nesting plovers can cause birds to flush from their nests, leaving eggs vulnerable to predation and weather.
• When walking or riding a horse, keep to wet sand, and avoid the area near and above high water line, esp. around kelp.
• Where dogs are allowed always keep them on a leash. Off-lease dogs can chase and disturb birds, destroy eggs, and kill young.
• Please do not feed wildlife (seagulls included). This increases the number of potential nest predators.
• Avoid lighting fires when camping on the beach.
• Dispose of garbage in covered receptacles to avoid attracting predators (e.g. crows, raven).
• Leave driftwood on the beach (plovers like foraging and nesting near it) and dismantle driftwood structures. Forts and posts provide unnatural perches for birds that prey on plovers and chicks.
• Report any disturbance of plovers you witness to the land managers of the beach (e.g. California State Parks, National Park Service), or to the California Dept. of Fish and Game (1-800-DFG-CALTIP).

Several Audubon chapters have been involved with coordinating local plover monitoring, either by providing a volunteer pool, helping train new volunteers or by providing publicity through meetings and newsletters. Santa Barbara Audubon Society has developed a model "Plover Docent" program for the University of California's Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve. Due to the efforts of the volunteers, plovers bred successfully here in 2001 for the first time in over 30 years, and should continue to do so (14 chicks fledged in 2002, fide K. Radasky). Ventura Audubon also helps coordinate a successful plover monitoring program with California State Parks in the Oxnard area. Various other groups and agencies run docent programs around Snowy Plover nest monitoring at beaches throughout the state, including (north to south):

Humboldt Bay NWR

Point Reyes National Seashore

San Francisco's Presidio

Half Moon Bay State Beach (call Marianne Kjobmand 650.726.8801)

Santa Cruz

Monterey Bay

Santa Maria - north (contact Laura Gardner: LGARD AT parks.ca.gov; 805.473.7232 x. 18)

Santa Maria - south ("The Dunes Center" 805.343.2455)

Santa Barbara

Oxnard - north

Oxnard - south (call Janet Bridgers 805.487.2999)

Malibu (contact Mary Prismon: goldcrownking AT juno.com)

Tijuana River Estuary (call "Tern Watchers" 619.575.2704).

Audubon chapters and their members are involved with annual statewide winter survey of plovers, which has been coordinated by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as outlined in the Western Snowy Plover Recovery Plan. This annual survey takes place each year in early February, and assigns hundreds of volunteers to walk beaches up and down the Pacific Coast. Contact your local chapter for more information on this survey.

CA DFG Species Profile