First nesting Piping Plovers on Lake Ontario since 1984

There are essentially three populations of Piping Plovers globally and they are all in North America. Of the three, the Great Lakes population has been listed as endangered since 1985 when their numbers were down to 12 breeding pair in all the Great Lake Basin. Lake Ontario has not had a breeding pair since 1984 and before that it was the 1950s, so imagine my surprise to find a pair of piping plovers on June 17th of this year. I had no idea of the rarity or the firestorm it would cause in the plover community after reporting the band numbers. The two birds though siblings made one nest attempt that failed and another shortly after which was found on June 27th. Extra measures like fencing and signage by the DEC were put in place to assure their safety from people and dogs. Dune stewards were engaged to make sure people were staying out of the restricted area. Beach activity and loss of habitat due to development are among the birds biggest threats today. The second nest was nearly lost in our wild storms we had this year, but the DEC was able to salvage two eggs and barricade the nest with sandbags. On July 25th, two chicks entered the world unaware of all that rested on their tiny shoulders. Only thirteen days later, one would be gone and the brevity of life for newborn chicks was made crystal clear. The remaining chick has at least made it to the 18th of August spotted by my friend { she was with me when we made the discovery} who has more time to check on them, and report their progress. The youngster should be flying soon and with each day it increases its chance for survival and the renewal of Piping Plovers to our New York Lake Ontario shores. Almost all photos were taken from my kayak so as not to disturb them, so many of them are cropped. It was particularly important because with it being so close to migration, the male could have abandoned the young. We were also asked by both local and federal officials to not disclose the discovery for obvious reasons, so forgive me for the late post. The saying ‘It takes a village’, has never been more appropriate because there are countless people across the country that are working tirelessly to ensure the future of this bird. Without them and the many volunteers working with them, it would be hard to imagine their recovery. It has been thirty days now, so I hope the little one has survived and makes its epic journey where hopefully someone will see its band. Much thanks is owed to Francesca Cuthbert who helped me learn a great deal about these birds and how special this discovery was.