Study Reveals a Slight Decline in Numbers, Offset by Higher Nesting Success
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control | Division of Fish and Wildlife | News | Date Posted: Monday, October 21, 2024
Beach-nesting piping plovers – a federally-listed threatened species and Delaware state-listed endangered species – experienced a decrease in adult pair numbers but increased nesting success in Delaware during 2024, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today.
Seven pairs of piping plovers were recorded nesting at The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, as well as 17 nesting pairs documented at Fowler Beach on Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, for a total of 24 nesting pairs. Before this year, pair counts in Delaware had steadily increased since 2016. The pair count stabilized at 24 in 2021 and 2022, but sharply increased to 31 in 2023.
“After low productivity in 2023, some former Delaware birds were reported breeding in other states in 2024, and ultimately we were back to hosting 24 pairs of plovers this year,” said Katherine “Kat” Christie, DNREC Coastal Waterbird biologist and leader of the Delaware Shorebird Project.
Piping plover on Fowler Beach
Photo: Dennis Murphy
