PHOTO: CYNTHIA HARTLEY
SHOREBIRD RECOVERY PROGRAM - SCIENCE
Our nest monitoring work documents snowy plover and least tern nest outcomes at Ormond and Hollywood Beaches. Our staff and contract biologists possess USFWS and CDFW permits to conduct field work with western snowy plovers and California least terns. Below are the activities we perform as part of the science component of our program:
Nest Searching and Beach Patrol
Survey the beach weekly, search for banded birds, nests, re-check known nests, look for chicks and any signs of disturbance or threats
Mapping
Locate and mark nests with GPS and create maps of nest locations and fences
Nest Outcome
Follow nests until they hatch or fail, and when nests fail determine the cause
Field Cameras: What happens when we aren't watching....
Using trail and small sport cameras, we record disturbance, depredation and nest hatching when we can't be there
Predator Exclosures
protect nests from egg eating predators
Summary from 2020 nesting season
Ormond Beach 2020
In 2020 our staff biologists conducted 50 nest surveys, representing over 300 hours of effort.
This does not count all of the hours of volunteer help!
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We found 53 snowy plover nests and 23 least tern nests.
Hollywood Beach 2020
This beach is smaller and more urban than Ormond and always has fewer nests. Typically, this location serves as a secondary nesting area when other areas fail, which is what happened this year.
Our contract biologist Barringer Biological found
21 tern nests and 10 snowy plover nests.
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ALL Ormond Nesting Season Reports
Our nest monitoring work is supported in part by an Endangered Species Act Section 6 grant.