Piping Plovers Rebound on the Lake Huron Coast
A piping plover, dubbed “GiNGer,” with a chick she reared in 2024 at Tawas Point. Another chick is nestled under her body. Photo courtesy Gary Nelkie
Two pairs of piping plovers nested on the shores of Tawas Point State Park last summer where they fledged the next generation of this endangered shorebird. By restoring more of its breeding and stopover habitat and coordinating a team of volunteer plover monitors to watch over these sensitive birds, Huron Pines is assisting in the recovery of one of Michigan’s rarest species.
Piping plovers are small migratory shorebirds that nest on northern sand and gravel beaches in summer months and migrate to the southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts for the winter. There are three distinct populations in North America, all of which are protected, including the Great Lakes population which was listed as endangered in 1985. There are only 81 unique breeding pairs of Great Lakes piping plovers in existence, their low numbers due in part to habitat loss and predation.
YoYo (leg band code X,O/B:Of,YY), a captive-reared male plover hatched in 2023 at U-M Biological Station in Pellston from an egg rescued in Erie, Pa., released at Tawas Point in 2023 and fledged four chicks in 2024.
Lyla was one of two plover chicks who fledged from a single nest at Tawas Point in 2023. She returned as an adult to the same place in June 2024 along with her father—dubbed Hero—where they found mates and fledged a total of 7 chicks. This success story is a testament to the dedication of the volunteer plover monitors we train and coordinate to keep watch over these birds and educate park visitors about their presence on its shores. At the same time, the return of the plover to the Lake Huron side of Northern Michigan is a sign that Huron Pines’ ongoing efforts to restore and protect its coastal dunes are having a positive, lasting impact.
2024 volunteer plover monitors Marge Pestka, Tess Nelkie, MaryAnne Wojahn, Gary Nelkie and Bill Roth (l-r, Martha Withers not pictured)
Tawas Point is the southernmost critical habitat for plovers along the Huron coast. Defined by the Endangered Species Act, critical habitats are open dune areas of at least 5 acres, provide vegetative cover for chicks to hide from predators and have low human disturbance, among other criteria. Five more critical habitat areas have been identified in Presque Isle, Cheboygan and Chippewa counties. Huron Pines is focusing its surveying and invasive species removal efforts in those places, including private lands and state parks, with the goal of protecting more habitat for plovers and other species native to Northern Michigan’s dune ecosystems.
“Working with volunteers on piping plover recovery is a rewarding experience and proves the importance of community science. Without their watchful eyes, there would have been reduced success this year at Tawas Point.”
Plovers earn their names according to the pattern of colored bands on their legs, with each color corresponding to a capital letter—“GiNGer,” another female plover, has two green bands separated by a brown “N” band on one of her legs. Great Lakes plovers also get an orange flag-style band. Attached by researchers when the hatchlings are just days old, these bands help volunteers and researchers identify individual birds as they migrate to their wintering grounds and ultimately return to nest the following summer, and are used to track family lineages in a population that numbers in the low hundreds. In July, Huron Pines staff assisted members of the Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Team in banding a nest of chicks at Tawas Point, an experience Huron Pines AmeriCorps member and birder Taylor Shay called “a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Huron Pines AmeriCorps member Taylor Shay assists members of the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team as they collect a cheek swab from a plover chick for genetic lineage testing.
Volunteers begin their daily monitoring efforts as soon as plovers return to breed and nest, typically in April or May. Using high-power spotting scopes, they observe the birds from a safe distance while watching and recording potential threats including off-leash dogs, humans entering the cordoned-off area or predatory merlins circling overhead. Daily monitoring and reporting continues for several months until the chicks fledge and all plovers leave the area. Volunteers conducted daily monitoring for three months—a combined 220 hours—at Tawas Point in 2024.
As Huron Pines continues to support plover recovery efforts, more volunteers will be needed to monitor potential nesting sites for adults and keep watch over any new nests. Because plovers come back to nest in the general areas where they hatched, the coming years hold great potential for their return to the northern Lake Huron coast. Those interested in becoming a volunteer plover monitor can email Maddie Khuri, Community Educator, at maddie@huronpines.org, and a virtual training opportunity will be held April 15.
Special thanks to AuSable Valley Audubon, monitors Gary and Tess Nelkie, Marge Pestka, Bill Roth, Nan Ulman, Martha Withers and Maryann Wojahn, and those who submitted eBird reports during the 2024 season. Thanks also to the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team which has been working for decades to coordinate monitors throughout the Great Lakes basin.
Funding for this work is provided in part by the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. All banding was conducted under a federally authorized permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey in accordance with USFWS permits.
Meet the plovers of Tawas Point
Hero (leg band code Of,YR:X,O), male hatched in 2022 at the Maritime Museum at Sleeping Bear Dunes, fledged two chicks in 2023 and three in 2024 at Tawas Point
GiNGer (Of,GN:X,G), female hatched in 2023 at Leelanau State Park, nested with Hero in 2024
YoYo (X,O/B:Of,YY), captive-reared male hatched in 2023 at U-M Biological Station in Pellston from an egg rescued in Erie, Pa., released at Tawas Point in 2023 and fledged four chicks there in 2024
Lyla (O,O/L:X,L [Ydot, L326]) female hatched in 2023 at Tawas Point State Park, fledged four chicks in 2024