We are very excited to announce that we have shorebirds nesting already on our state park beach! I had the pleasure in assisting DNR and other volunteers with protecting our shorebird nesting site. The Hurricane this past fall took our sand from the beach and pushed it up and onto the dunes, creating prime nesting habitat for our shorebirds. We put up 68 posts, all with shorebird nesting signs, informing the public that the area behind the sign is off limits due to Wilson Plover and Least Tern nests. The posts start right after the campground and continue around the inlet. We currently have the several pairs of Wilson Plover's nesting but you wouldn't know it if you didn't know what to look for! Wilson Plover's are a very small bird and they lay their eggs in the sand. The eggs are speckled to camouflage with the sand and are very hard to see! If you see a Wilson Plover looking like they have a broken wing, it is a defense mechanism. They are trying to draw you away from their nest - so if you see this, please back up and give it room. We are very happy to have our shorebirds back nesting!
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Leah SchwartzentruberSea Turtle Biologist Archives
June 2024
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