Virginia
Plover Survey
Piping Plover Productivity Studies
Piping Plover Productivity Studies
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Virginia
Plover Survey
Piping Plover Productivity Studies |
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for Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries The piping plover (Charadrius melodus) and the Wilson's plover (Charadrius Wilsonia) are congeneric, migratory shorebirds which frequent the oceanfront beaches of Virginia's easternmost counties during the breeding season. Both species arrive in Virginia in the early spring and breed asynchronously from April through July. Pre-fledged chicks may be present from May through August. Both plover species exhibit similar nesting habitat preferences. However, Wilson's plovers are larger, and differ in the size and types of prey which they select. The ecological similarities between these species allow population estimates for both species to be determined in a single breeding survey timed to coincide with peak nesting activity. The Virginia Plover Survey (VPS) has been conducted annually since 1986 and provides breeding population estimates and distribution information for piping plovers and Wilson's plovers within the state. Additionally, the information gathered during this survey is used to assess management and recovery efforts for these species on local and regional scales. The Virginia Plover Survey is coordinated with the U.S. Atlantic Coast Piping Plover Survey, initiated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and conducted each year during the first week of June (window count) throughout the Atlantic coast breeding range of the piping plover. Further, the results of the Virginia Plover Survey are provided to the International Piping Plover Survey conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service every five years to develop global population estimates for the species. Data collected annually from state survey coordinators is used to develop range-wide population estimates and recovery goals. Although, other long-established Virginia bird surveys estimate numbers of piping plovers and Wilson's plovers, they are designed primarily to census colonial, beach nesting birds and do not include all suitable Virginia plover nesting habitat nor do they confirm breeding for these species. The Virginia Plover Survey documents all breeding piping plovers in the state. Estimates of nesting success for piping plovers in Virginia have been available from selected sites since 1987 (Patterson 1988, Ailes 1988, Cross 1991). However, statewide productivity estimates developed from multiple sites representing a significant proportion of the population (³ 75%) have been available only since 1998 (Terwilliger and Cross 1999). A statewide average productivity figure is critical to understanding the breeding success of piping plovers in Virginia in light of the differences in management and protective efforts afforded the species by various landowners. Productivity studies are used in Virginia to determine the site-specific breeding success of piping plovers exposed to diverse limiting factors, habitat conditions, and protective measures. This report presents the findings of the Virginia Plover Survey 2000 and the results from piping plover productivity studies conducted in Virginia in 2000. Return to Main Page |
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