Tag: gloucester
The kid does it…He won all three this year…derrick hopkins
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Around Town #117
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HAPPINESS IS KNOWING ALL YOUR BABIES ARE SAFE AND TUCKED IN FOR THE NIGHT
Our chicks are 26 days old today. We’ve nearly made it to the four-week-old milestone!
Doesn’t Papa look content? 🙂
Although state guidelines say piping Plover chicks have fledged by 25 days, that simply is not the case with our chicks. They cannot fly more than a few feet and are still swimming across the creek to the other side (about ten feet wide at mid-tide). If they could fly across, they would.
Every morning I find the chicks thermoregulating under Mom or Dad. Throughout the day, the parents guide the chicks up and down the beach to the most safe locations for foraging. And in the evening, they return to the protected area to snuggle under Mom or Dad, spending the night as a family unit.
The Federal guidelines are much more accurate when comparing my own observations and documentation. USFWS mandates protection up to 35 days. We PiPl monitors are going with protecting our family to 35 days, at five weeks old.
Thank you to all our wonderful Piping Plover volunteer monitors. Without a doubt, our chicks would not have made it this far if not for your time, patience, and dedication.
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THE JOHNSON FAMILY OF YOUNG CONSERVATIONISTS!
Thank you to the Johnson Family of Wakefield and Connecticut for their interest in learning about the Piping Plovers and for giving them the space they needed when trying to get to the creek.
Volunteer monitor Laurie Sawin spent time with the family on Wednesday, sharing her binoculars and teaching the young conservation-minded kids all about Piping Plovers and their habitat. The kids were so interested and considerate of the birds, it was a joy to meet them!
People love the portable new signs, both beach goers and the volunteer monitors. The signs provide an opportunity for beach guests to ask questions and learn about the PiPls, and they also provide a reference for the monitors. Many thanks to volunteer monitor Heather Hall for sharing a photo online of the signs used at PiPl protected areas in Ontario.
Our PiPl family are finding lots of fat sea worms at the creek.
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Around Town #166 Saturdays Incredible Clouds And sky
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Around Town #115
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HAPPY THREE-WEEK-OLD BIRTHDAY TO OUR PIPING PLOVER CHICKS, ALL THREE!
On Saturday our Good Harbor Beach PiPl chicks turned three weeks old. They remind me so much of toddlers, with their indefatigable spirits, high energy and great appetites, adventuring, tumbling and bumping themselves throughout the day, flopping their tired selves down and wanting to be cuddled and protected, and then picking themselves up to start all over again.
Our chicks are spreading their wings! Their flight feathers have not yet grown in nonetheless, it doesn’t stop them from testing their wings. They stretch wide and take little leaps in the air, often ending with a face plant.
And sometimes, lift-off!
The chicks spend a good part of the day at the creek. On Saturday they crossed the creek and much to PiPl monitor Laurie Sawin’s dismay it appeared as though they were trapped on the other side and might have been swallowed up by the incoming tide. Instead, all three chicks swam across the creek to the safety of the shore.
We are stymied by the decision to shrink the Piping Plover’s protected area and are working toward re-establishing the size of their designated area. It’s really much too soon to be shrinking the roped off area and to have raked over the mini mounds of sand they sleep on every night. The chicks are all over the beach at all times of day and the protected area not only provides safety from people and pets, the un-raked areas provide a feast of good eating.
It clearly takes a village to raise a family of chicks at a popular city beach and we have a corps of wonderfully dedicated volunteers. We could really use help over these final ten days before the chicks are fully fledged. The weather has warmed and the beach has become much busier. Please contact Alicia Pensarosa if you would like to help. You can also directly sign up here. Thank you so much, and even more importantly, the PiPls thank you, too ❤
Tiny mollusks for breakfast
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NEW PIPING PLOVER SIGNS
We have new Piping Plover portable signs to help the monitors. The signs can be picked up and moved anywhere there are chicks and foot traffic. We got the idea for the coroplast signs from ones used in Ontario.
THANKS SO MUCH TO SEAN AND SAMANTHA AT SEASIDE GRAPHICS FOR PUTTING A RUSH ON THE SIGNS! SEASIDE GRAPHICS IS SIMPLY THE BEST AROUND!
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Around Town #114…With just a couple photos of the GHS girls softball
THE GIRLS SOFTBALL TEAM OF GHS ARE PLYING FOR THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY AT WORCESTER AT 7PM !!!
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Around Town #113
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Around Town #112
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around town #111
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Around town #110
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HAPPY FATHER’S DAY – BROUGHT TO YOU BY PIPING PLOVER DADS!
Fifteen-day-old Piping Plover chicks
Last year I posted a similarly titled post, Happy Father’s Day! Brought to You By Papa Plover,with a photo of Papa PiPl snuggling our one remaining chick, Pip.
This year we have a sweet photo from yesterday of our Papa PiPl snuggling all three chicks, not just one chick as was the case last year on Father’s Day. I wrote, “Whenever folks stop by to ask questions at the nesting area and they see the little chicks snuggling under the adult PiPl, they almost automatically assume it is the Mama Plover. Half the time it is the female, and the other half, the male. Mom and Dad share equally in caring for the chicks, generally in twenty minute to half hour intervals. They are always within ear shot and while one is minding the chicks, the other is either feeding itself, grooming, or patrolling for predators. Last year, as is often the case, the Mama Plover departed Good Harbor Beach several weeks before the chick fledged, leaving Little Chick entirely under Papa’s care.”
But there is more to the story about what makes Piping Plover males Super Dads. Papa is not only an excellent Dad in that he is a fifty/fifty caretaker of the chicks, but male Plovers are also fierce defenders of their family. Our Papa is no exception. He is always on high alert, especially when it comes to the Bachelor and his antics. Between gulls, crows, other avian predators, human caused disturbances, and even danger from one of their own kind, it’s not easy being a Plover Dad.
Papa Plover warming the three chicks. They were fifteen days old on Saturday morning.
The Bachelor tries to camp out in the protected area. Papa is having none of it and leaps up to give chase to the Bachelor.
Papa and the Bachelor smack down over command of the protected area.
Male Piping Plovers fight, and even bite, competing males for mates and for nesting territory.
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OUR GOOD HARBOR BEACH PIPING PLOVER CHICKS ARE TWO WEEKS OLD TODAY!
Two weeks ago today, four tiny Piping Plover chicks hatched at Good Harbor Beach. Nesting got off to a rocky start, with the mated pair first attempting to nest at the beach, then at the parking lot, but then thankfully, returning to their original nest site.
The relative peace on the beach, excellent parenting by Mama and Papa PiPl, cooler than average temperatures, vigilant monitoring by a corps of dedicated volunteers, outpouring of consideration by beach goers, as well as support from the DPW, City administration, and City Councilors has allowed the chicks to attain the two-week-old stage of maturity. With each passing day, we can see the chicks are gaining in strength and fortitude and listening more attentively to their parent’s voice commands. Adhering to Mama and Papa’s piping calls is an important milestone in their development. The parents continuously pipe commands and directions, warning of danger and directing the chicks to come to a stand still. The tiny shorebird’s best defense is its ability to blend with its surroundings when motionless.
The chicks spent the early morning warming up and foraging at the protected area. Afternoon found them camped out at the creek.
Snapshots from the morning
There was a group of young people stationed near the PiPl protected area enjoying the beach on this fine sunny afternoon. All was good though as the chicks were perfectly safe, foraging far down the creek. With gratitude and thanks to everyone who is helping to keep our PiPl family safe.
Snapshots from the afternoon
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MONARCH EGGS UPDATE
Dear Friends,
There has been more interest than anticipated in Monarch eggs. Thank you to everyone for writing!
At present, Jane has over 100 caterpillars in her kitchen terrariums. These will become butterflies within the month, and each female that emerges will lay between 300 to 700 eggs. I’ve compiled a list of everyone who left a comment. We are thrilled and grateful readers are so interested in helping raise Monarchs this summer. I will contact all as soon as Jane has a new batch of freshly laid Monarch eggs.
In the meantime, I am going to type up some FAQs. I also suggest using a glass rectangular fish tank/terrarium, with a fitted screen top, for rearing the caterpillars. If you don’t have one, they are available at our local pet stores. Also, a package of cheese cloth. Along with a plentiful supply of milkweed, that’s all you will need.
Thank you again and we’ll be in touch. ❤
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HAPPY TEN-DAY-OLD BIRTHDAY TO OUR PIPING PLOVER CHICKS!
Today our little chicks, all three, turn ten-days-old. This is a milestone in that their chances of survival are greatly improved when they reach the age of ten-days-old.
The family of five spent the morning foraging, mostly in the protected area, and venturing to the shoreline only occasionally. A Mourning Dove made his way through the dune edge into the protected area and Mama was having none of it. She flew at the Dove, but it attacked back. Papa suddenly appeared out of nowhere and really gave the Dove the business, buzzing it several times. The Dove flew off and then returned. Both parents left the chicks briefly and both attacked the Dove simultaneously. It’s always dramatic when you see how these pint sized shorebirds go after the much larger birds, and usually win.
Our Papa and Mama will fight to the death for their chicks, and because of that the chicks have survived ten whole days. Additionally, the Piping Plover family could not have survived this long without the vigilance of tender hearted volunteer monitors. They are a tremendous bunch of people and if you would like to join our group, please contact Alicia Pensarosa and sign up for a shift. Everyone is welcome. Weekends, especially, volunteers are needed.
Thank you to all the volunteer monitors. Two volunteers deserve an extra huge shout out and they are Heather Hall and Laurie Sawin. These two daily spend hours upon hours monitoring the chicks. Thank you sweet ladies for all your time and devotion ❤
Bug Breakfast
Big Chair, Tiny Bird
Papa keeping a watchful eye on the family this morning.
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MONARCH EGGS FREE FOR THE TAKING
A friend with a lovely garden just loaded with milkweed would like help this summer raising Monarchs. She is located in the Annisquam area. Last year Jane had so many eggs and caterpillars, she had a real time of it trying to take care of all. This year promises to be as good as, if not better than, last year.
If you would like Monarch eggs and information on how to take care of the eggs and caterpillars, please comment in the comment section, and we will provide you with Monarch babies!
Raising Monarchs with kids is the best!
Quick snapshot of Jane’s garden
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CHICKS MADE THEIR FIRST FORAY DOWN TO THE CREEK TODAY!
Our Good Harbor Beach PiPls made their first journey down to the creek this morning. They left the protected area about 11:00am, just as the soccer tournament was heating up. The family traveled along the dune fencing, crossed the back road, and spent the better part of the day foraging in the creek tidal flats and in the vegetation at the marsh edge.
For volunteers who have never seen this behavior before, in 2016 the chicks hatched over Fiesta weekend, when the beach was very busy. At only two days old, the PiPl family began making the epic journey to the creek from the protected area. This is harrowing for them and we lost a chick during the 2016 trek. Volunteers can best help the chicks by following along, from a safe distance that does not impede their movement. Keep an eye on stray balls and let folks in the vicinity know what is happening, if possible. They typically return as the tide is coming in or at dusk.
I believe easy access to the creek is one reason why our GHB PiPls choose to nest at the No. 3 boardwalk over the No. 1 boardwalk area. The creek is closer to No. 3 and gives the birds a secondary option for feeding when the main beach is super crowded.
The hatchlings are eight days old and are nearing the ten-day-old milestone. They are growing visibly stronger and increasingly more independent everyday. I have lots of photos to share and will provide a longer update after the weekend.
Chicklet tracks
Creek tide flats
Mom calling for a chick, which is hiding in the vegetation at the edge of the marsh 🙂
Seven-day-old Piping Plover Chicks
Good Morning Gloucester 