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Shorebird Management at Rockaway Beach A Multi-Division Effort To Protect Endangered & Threatened Species Susan Stanley Richard Simon Research Ecologist Deputy Director Natural Resources Group Urban Park Rangers Introduction The Rockaway Beach Endangered Species Nesting Area was established in 1996 as a response to the discovery of federally and state-listed piping plovers nesting in Far Rockaway, Queens. The Piping Plover Monitoring Program is jointly managed by the Urban Park Rangers and Natural Resources Group of the New York City Parks Department. Rockaway Beach Endangered Species Nesting Area Federally-Threatened and NYS-Endangered •Piping plover NYS-Threatened •Least tern •Common tern NYS-Special Concern •Black skimmer NYS-Species of Greatest Conservation Need •American oystercatchers Federally and NYS-Threatened Plant •Seabeach amaranth Rockaway Beach Endangered Species Nesting Area All of these species are protected under federal and state law and precautions must be taken to prevent their populations from becoming locally extinct. As land managers of Rockaway Beach, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is responsible for preventing the harassment, harm or death of these species. Rockaway Peninsula Rockaway Beach Rockaway Beach Breezy Point Rockaway Beach is managed by the NYC Department of Parks and extends from B9th to B149th Streets for approximately 6.5 miles of coast line. In 2015 piping plovers used 1.7 miles of beach. 5 Rockaway Beach Endangered Species Nesting Area Google Earth Beach 56th Street Plovers nesting usually occurs between Beach 56th and Beach 19th Streets. All nests were located in this area in 2015. Beach 19th Street Rockaway Beach Endangered Species Nesting Area Late March Symbolic fence erected at Arverne, the main breeding site, in anticipation of arriving plovers. •Beach 38th-57th Streets Monitored other suitable locations. Detection of plovers in courtship led to addition of 3 fenced satellite sites to the east in Far Rockaway. •Beach 26th-Beach 28th Streets •Beach 23rd-Beach 25th Streets •Beach 19th-Beach 20th Streets Methods April Regular monitoring began Teams of 2-4 monitors recorded: •Scrapes •Plover activity •American oystercatcher activity Considered Breeding Pair if: •Nest established •Copulation observed All nests monitored throughout season. Methods April-June Shelters (18) installed near completed plover nests. Purpose: • Reduce interspecific, antagonistic interactions (AMOY, Gulls) • Provide shade in areas with little/no vegetation Teepee shelters used successfully to reduce aerial predation and provide shade for chicks in Nantucket tern colonies (Jenks-Jay 1982). Construction: • Recycled snow fencing • Fence pole • Wire Jenks-Jay, N. 1982. Chick Shelter Decrease Avian Predation in Least Tern Colonies on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Journal of Field Ornithology, 53, 58-60. Methods June-July DEC Window Count for Least and Common Terns •2 Breeding Pair Counts •1 Chick Count Counts conducted throughout Rockaway Beach, although terns only nested within the fenced, main plover breeding site. Methods Early July Black Skimmers began arriving in greater numbers than previous years. Symbolic fencing retained around 5-block area occupied by colony. Individual counts conducted by NYC Parks, NYSDEC and USFWS. The number of breeding pairs was calculated by dividing the number of individuals by two. Ellen Pehek, NYC Parks Results Piping Plovers Pairs = 16 Eggs = 64 Chicks = 51 Fledglings = 22 Percent Hatched= 80% (Chicks/Eggs) Percent Fledged= 43% (Fledglings/Chicks) Productivity Rate= 1.38 (Fledglings/Pairs) Results Plover Pairs 1996-2015 30 Pairs 25 20 15 10 5 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Results Plover Fledglings 1996-2015 35 30 Fledglings 25 20 15 10 5 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Results Plover Productivity Rate 1996-2015 2.5 Productivity Rate 2 USFWS Recovery Goal 1.5 1 0.5 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Results Plover Eggs vs. Chicks Hatched 1996-2015 140 Eggs Chicks 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Results Plover Chicks vs. Fledglings 1996-2015 60 Chicks Fledglings 50 40 30 20 10 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Results Piping plover and American oystercatcher shelter usage vs. temperature 12 11 10 8 # of Birds 8 7 6 4 PIPL 9 AMOY 9 3 3 6 7 6 2 1 1 0 68-70 71-73 74-76 77-79 80-82 83-85 Temperature (°F) 86-88 89-91 Shelter use observed: Piping plover chicks and adults American oystercatcher chicks 92-94 Results American Oystercatchers Pairs = 26 Eggs = 80 Chicks = 58 Fledglings = 43 Productivity Rate: 1.65 Percent Hatched = 73% Percent Fledged = 74% Least and Common Terns Window Counts Date COTE LETE 1st count breeding adults 6/10/2015 8 674 2nd count breeding adults 6/23/2015 30 332 Chick count 7/10/2015 - 90 Results Banded on Harbor Island, SC – Sept. 2012 Banded plovers • 5 Banded plovers observed • Reported to USFWS • At least 3 banded by Virginia Tech (2 traceable) Kiawah Island, SC - January 2015 Harbor Island, SC - September 2012 Banded oystercatchers • • • • 13 Banded oystercatchers observed Reported to AMOY Working Group 7 banded by NYC Audubon/Manomet Center in 2014 Adults & chicks banded by NYC Audubon in 2015 Results Black skimmers Estimations (Jason Smith, DEC) Pairs = 100-120 Fledglings = 45-75 Productivity Rate = 0.38-0.75 Ellen Pehek, NYC Parks Discussion Plover Mortality and Predation Chick lost = 29 • No observed chick predation • 20-day old chick necropsy inconclusive Nest Predation • Gull nest predation observed • Plover pair rejected exclosure on renest Potential Predators • Several feral cats trapped and removed • Ghost crabs present at site although effects on plovers unclear Discussion Post-Sandy 11/3/12 Google Earth Google Earth After Beach Replenishment 10/1/14 Despite more available habitat in 2015, the plovers nested in the same areas as previous years: The pre-fenced Main Site from B38th-56th Streets and Satellite Sites from B19-28th Streets- which only differed by one street block from 2014. However the black skimmer colony was a new addition in 2015. 2016 Goals Habitat Improvements • Continue use of chick shelters • Carry on with treatment of Asiatic sand sedge (Carex kobomugi) in main breeding site. • Work with Parks Capital Division, DEC and USFWS to minimize impact to birds during boardwalk construction. Bird Monitoring • Monitor black skimmers and work with NYC Audubon and DEC on banding. Acknowledgements UPR Monitoring Team Brooke Skelly Natalia Quinteros Victor Yin (Photography credits) Julie Clothier Kevin Ryan Dennis Washington and Park Enforcement Patrol staff Portia Dyrenforth & Rockaway Beach staff Queens Commissioner Lewandowski Questions? The 2015 Piping Plover Crew releasing American oystercatcher chicks during banding with NYC Audubon.
