Piping Plover Production Plummets

It was a down year for piping plover production.

According to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources, a record 24 breeding pairs of piping plovers nested at The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park and at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge Fowler Beach. However, they produced a total of 19 fledglings that were able to fly and leave the nest.

Researchers believe nests were disrupted during a Memorial Day storm, and more predators than usual may have reduced the piping plover population at Fowler Beach.

The drop-off came after three record years for piping plover productivity. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set a goal of 1.5 fledglings per breeding pair as part of the piping plover recovery plan in 1996. That goal was exceeded in 2018, 2019 and 2020. This year, the productivity was 0.8 fledglings per breeding pair.

Also, according to DNREC, two pairs of American Oystercatchers nested at The Point at Cape Henlopen, and one pair nested at Delaware Seashore State Park. Least tern counts were lower than in recent years, with four breeding pairs and four nests found at Cape Henlopen State Park. Two chicks hatched, and neither of them fledged.