EPISODE · Sep 2, 2020 · 49 MIN
Ep. 46 - The Piping Plovers of Sandy Island Beach
from The Field Guides · host Bill Michalek
Links:Sandy Beach Island State Park (Pulaski, New York)Piping Plover running (video)Piping Plover chick running (video)Piping Plover chick hiding under their mom (video)Rockaway Beach (Queens, New York)An article about Claire and her team (Article)New York State Parks Blog about the Piping Plovers (Article)Report Banded Piping Plovers (or email [email protected])Great Lakes Piping Plovers of New York (Facebook page)Notes:Coordinators on the project include US Fish and Wildlife, SUNY ESF, Onondaga Audubon, and the staff at NYS ParksThe project and Claire’s position are funded annually by the USFWS Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grant funding from the Federal Government, DOI, with Regional efforts led by Robyn Niver.Errata:Claire mentioned that the Piping Plover weighs the same as a stick of butter. She informed us that she misspoke and meant to say that they weigh about the same as a half of a stick of butter. They’re also about the height of a stick of butter stood up on its end.Picture credit:"Piping Plovers" by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest RegionWorks Cited:Robinson, S., Fraser, J., Catlin, D., Karpanty, S., Altman, J., Boettcher, R., Holcomb, K., Huber, C., Hunt, K. and Wilke, A., 2019. Irruptions: evidence for breeding season habitat limitation in Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus).
What this episode covers
This month’s episode is all about the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), a small shorebird that is endangered in New York State. Bill and Steve head off to Pulaski, New York to visit Sandy Island Beach State Park where plovers have been breeding since their return in 2016. The guys are joined by Claire Nellis, the ‘Piping Plover Project Coordinator’ for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historical Preservation. They’re also joined by Tom Kerr, local naturalist with Buffalo Audubon, who previously worked with Piping Plovers at Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York. We hope you enjoy the episode!
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Ep. 46 - The Piping Plovers of Sandy Island Beach
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