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Mass Audubon's Coastal Waterbird Program-
Lifeguards for the Birds
Dawn at Barnstable and Yarmouth Beaches
It's 5:30 am and the sun is just starting to stretch, poking its amber head from behind a sky of colorful covers. Before vacationers in beach chairs and kids splashing in the ocean arrive, Mass Audubon's Coastal Waterbird Program (CWP) Director Becky Harris is walking the beaches scouting for piping plover and least tern chicks. Harris often starts her day patrolling Barnstable and Yarmouth beaches, making sure that the plover chicks are safely out of the way of the beach raking that is conducted by the town on local beaches. Towns use a large machine to clear away seaweed, natural debris, and trash from the beach. If the chicks are in an area being raked, their natural response is to hide in the lowest spot, which often is a tire track. "It's impossible to see the tiny chicks from the vantage point of the truck, and this leaves them vulnerable," says Harris.
Midmorning on Town Neck Beach
After the beach raking has been completed and all the plovers are deemed safe, Harris drives to Town Neck Beach in Sandwich to look for least tern nests and observe the birds' activity. It's piping plover and least tern census time, and Harris and her CWP team of 30 dedicated seasonal staff spend their summer days monitoring more than 100 sites.
As the wind whips up the sand from the edge of the dunes, a least tern flies back to the nest with a small fish in his mouth, hoping to impress his mate with the latest catch. During the tern census month, it's all hands on the beach as staff line up an arm's length apart and walk the entire beach keeping an eye out for tern nests and eggs. It's a difficult job protecting the 106 pairs of least terns and five pairs of piping plovers and all of their young here on Town Neck Beach from predators including foxes, skunks, gulls, and crows, as well as from human activity. For example, this Fourth of July brought more than 500 people to the beach despite the rain. "Just look at all the debris-charred wood from bonfires and leftover litter from fireworks," says Harris. "Even with fences around the plover and terns nesting area and 'No Trespassing' signs posted, the state-listed threatened species are still vulnerable."
Early Afternoon at Dowses Beach
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Coastal Waterbird Program Director Becky Harris
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This afternoon, it's on to another site to look for more chicks and nests. Out on Dowses Beach in Osterville, Harris uses binoculars to scan one section of an enclosed area to check on a piping plover family. She spots the adult birds flying close by and sees only two of the three remaining chicks sitting in the nest bowl (a small depression in the sand). "Only 22 days old, the chicks are still too young to fly and rely on their parents for shelter, but they're up and running as soon as they hatch," explains Harris. "They have to find their own food, and can travel at least a half-mile on their first day of life after hatching."
Finally, the third more adventurous chick is spotted coming from a dune area to join its siblings in a huddle. Harris relaxes and smiles, content to know that this family of plovers is still thriving.
Midafternoon on Popponesset
It's off to Popponesset Beach where Harris spots two roseate terns by the water, along with four common terns. "This is the first sighting of roseates on this beach this summer!" says Harris.
The roseates tend not to nest in the Popponesset locale but instead visit the area both before and after breeding, feeding until they get enough energy to migrate back to Brazil and Argentina in September. "Roseates are endangered at both the state and federal levels," explains Harris. "They only breed at a few sites in Massachusetts-mostly concentrated on three islands in Buzzards Bay, where about 50 percent of the entire North American population breeds."
Late Afternoon at Yet Another Beach
It's now late afternoon and the wind has picked up considerably on Popponesset Beach. Not optimal conditions for kayaking out to Dead Neck / Sampsons Island to check on the two least tern colonies and the more than 20 pairs of piping plovers that call this beach home. So Harris moves on to one of the other many beaches-keeping her eyes and ears open for the sights and sounds of plovers and terns.
Back from the Beaches at Dusk
| "I definitely feel good at the end of the day about CWP accomplishments," says Harris.
"Rewarding moments come when someone on the beach thanks us for what we're doing or for pointing out the plovers and terns and their chicks."
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After the sun has tucked itself under the blanket of horizon for the night, Harris winds up her 12- to 14-hour day back at her office communicating with staff about plans for tomorrow. In addition to monitoring shorebirds, other typical tasks include meeting with town personnel and landowners to coordinate activities on the beaches, or heading off to the store to buy supplies for the boats, fencing, and enclosure materials. She might have a public education opportunity, speaking to a community group or presenting a program in one of the schools. Or she might meet with a beach task force to find out the schedule for upcoming beach dredging projects to ensure staff is on hand to monitor the birds.
Related Projects
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Roseate tern
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In recent years, there has been a regionwide decline in the roseate tern population, which has been puzzling researchers. Since 2004 Jeff Spendelow, a roseate tern biologist with the US Geological Survey at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, has coordinated a roseate tern band resighting program in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Small colored bands are put on the legs of the adult terns, which help the researchers gain insight into the survival rate of the species and their movement patterns from nesting sites. Researchers hope to use this information about the species' movement patterns and habitat use in order to minimize disturbance, disruption, and mortality due to coastal and offshore development and human activity.
In 2006 the CWP also initiated a roseate tern resighting program at several sites where staff monitor throughout the breeding and postbreeding season. This project focuses on observing the terns with bands from the northern and eastern sides of Nantucket Sound and the Buzzards Bay colonies from late July to early September.
The result? About 600 identifiable band sightings of more than 200 different roseate terns were documented during this time period last year. In 2007 the CWP was awarded a three-year grant by the Island Foundation to continue the roseate tern resighting project as well as conduct a least tern foraging project to study feeding patterns. Is the tern population declining as a result of fishing stocks, climate change, and/or pollution? These are questions that the CWP will hope to find answers for through this foraging project.
Another research tool, a web cam, will be set up on Tern Island in Chatham in the near future. This will allow the CWP staff a glimpse into the fascinating world of least terns and their chicks. It could also provide important information as to predators' behavior.
Interested in volunteering for the CWP?
Want to learn more about the CWP while helping wildlife and having fun? We're seeking volunteers to help with data entry and office tasks (year-round) and to assist with fencing installation and removal during the field season, as well as bird monitoring. Multiple trainings are available during March, April, and May.
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Monetary donations are also appreciated-nearly 90 percent of the CWP's budget comes from grants and donations. Supplies, including plywood and other building materials, optics, and cameras, are also needed. For more information, please call Becky Harris at 508-362-7475, ext. 9351, or send an e-mail to bharris@massaudubon.org.
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