piping plovers in jamaica bay plovers in jamaica bay hanem abouelezz, ... gateway manages rockaway...

Gateway National Recreation Area

Piping Plovers in Jamaica Bay

Hanem Abouelezz, Biologist Jamaica Bay Unit Gateway National Recreation Area National Park Service


Threatened and Endangered Species

“Our mission is to reduce the risk of extinction of plants and animals in the parks, and to restore species that have occurred in parks historically but have been lost to human activities.”

FrankDesisto.com J. Portmann NPS


Species Status Atlantic Coast population of the piping plover (Charadrius melodus)

listed federally threatened January 1986

Threats to the population include: habitat loss and degradation, predation, human disturbance, wind turbine development and climate change (USFWS 2009)

Minimum subpopulation for New York-New Jersey recovery unit = 575 pairs for 5 years [586 pairs in 2008] (USFWS 2009)

GNRA, in consultation with USFWS, implemented a piping plover management plan in 1989


Management Area

Nesting habitat: above high tide line on coastal beaches, sand flats, foredunes, washovers areas between dunes. Areas characterized by no or sparse vegetation

Foraging habitat: intertidal zones, washover areas, sand flats and

shorelines

Gateway manages Rockaway beaches for breeding piping plovers. Beaches include: Jacob Riis, Ft. Tilden, Silver Gull Club, West Beach, Breezy Point Tip


Methods

Plovers arrive in early March

Traditional breeding areas are enclosed by symbolic fencing by mid March

Biological monitoring begins in mid-April and concludes in late July

Seasonal employees and volunteer interns

Nests located via monitoring of plover

behavior and are enclosed with predator enclosures


Methods

NPS Fire Island


Monitoring Results Nests discovered between April 17th and June 29th. Nesting occurred on Breezy Point tip, West Beach and the Silver Gull Club beach.

Pairs = 18

Eggs = 92

Chicks hatched = 30

Hatch Rate = 33%

Fledges = 17

(up 6.25% from 2011)

Fledge Rate = 57%

Productivity (Fledges/Pairs) = 94%


Monitoring Results

Yeah, yeah, yeah…

How do those numbers match up?


Trends


Trends The good: - # pairs above average - # eggs produced well above average - good fledge rate The bad: - hatch rate could use improvement The bottom line: - Egg loss prior to hatching is the weak spot in the program - Improvement in this area could increase productivity


Disturbance & Violations

Predators feral cats, raccoons, dogs

Interspecific Competition American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)

- Terns CoOp = increased oystercatcher co-occurrence with nesting plovers

Humans jogging, fires, pets, motor vehicles, kite flying, swimming

Egg Theft Two nests vandalized, discovered July 4th

- Single hole ripped into the top of the exclosure - Egg collector? No resolution at the point

Other reasons for nest/egg loss tides and storms


Brave New World…

Tony Luscombe 2012


Brave New World…

Hurricane Sandy removed vegetation and increased the availability of suitable nesting habitat for the piping plover as well as other special status species (Common Terns, Least Terns and Black Skimmers)

“Will the number of nesting pairs and/or reproductive success increase proportionally to this increase in habitat or will other disturbances hold back productivity?”

- Using pre and post storm satellite imagery to quantify the amount of nesting habitat in ArcGIS

Will terns return to NPS property, thus buffering nesting piping

plovers from American oystercatcher harassment? 2013 should be a interesting season!


?Any Questions?

Thanks to Tony Luscombe, Jessica Browning, Doug Adamo, Dave Avrin, George Frame & 2012 Jamaica Bay Unit Seasonal Biological Technicians and Interns

piping plovers in jamaica bay plovers in jamaica bay hanem abouelezz, ... gateway manages rockaway...

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