Piping plover

Historically, several hundred Great Lakes piping plover pairs nested on shorelines throughout the Great Lakes. When the Great Lakes population was granted federal protection under the Endangered Species Act in 1986, only 17 breeding pairs remained and were restricted to the state of Michigan. By 2024, thanks to dedicated multistate and international recovery efforts, the Great Lakes population grew to 81 breeding pairs across five U.S. states and Ontario. 

Piping plovers have always been rare in Pennsylvania, as breeding birds and passage migrants. Until the mid-1950s, about 15 breeding pairs nested regularly on Gull Point at Presque Isle State Park, Erie County. Though they were rare but regular fall and casual spring migrants at the park, piping plovers had not nested in the state (“extirpated”) since 1955. In 2011 and 2012, historic nesting habitat in the Gull Point Natural Area was restored through federal funding. Over the years, piping plovers briefly visited the restored habitat during spring and fall, renewing hope for the return of this species to Pennsylvania. Indeed, two pairs successfully nested in the Gull Point Natural Area in 2017 and have nested each year since.

Piping plovers nest on coastal beaches that also are enjoyed by recreational beachgoers. Cryptic coloration of piping plover adults, chicks and eggs is advantageous to avoid predation but makes it nearly impossible for them to be avoided on busy beaches. Beach visitors can inadvertently trample nests and/or chicks, particularly when driving down the shoreline (in other states), or cause nest abandonment because of repeated disturbance. 

Increased human activity following the establishment of Presque Isle State Park in 1929 likely led to abandonment of the site by nesting piping plovers in the mid-1950s. Potential disturbance by recreational beach-users and boaters remains a major threat to nesting plovers and other shorebirds; however, several management practices reduce these risks significantly where nests are found (see Management Programs). Additionally, adults and young are vulnerable to terrestrial and avian predators, such as raccoons, foxes, coyotes, feral cats, off-leash dogs, crows, gulls, merlins, and owls. Habitat degradation from vegetation encroachment and habitat flooding are also concerns. Emerging issues throughout the Great Lakes, such as Type E botulism and offshore wind turbines, pose additional risks to this fragile population. Nesting habitat is not threatened by development in Pennsylvania as in other parts of the piping plover’s breeding and wintering ranges.

Piping plovers, particularly in the Great Lakes population, are one of the most intensively managed endangered species given their small breeding populations and high vulnerability to disturbance. Nests are protected by predator exclosures that allow entry and exit for the plovers but deter predators. These exclosures are coupled with a larger "closed area" that enables the birds and their chicks to forage safely without disturbance. Plover monitors keep track of the nests daily, noting when birds were first seen, when eggs were laid, when they hatched, and how many chicks fledged. Since 1993, individual plovers (adults and chicks) have been marked with uniquely colored leg bands to better understand movements of breeding birds within the breeding range and between the breeding range and the wintering areas, survivorship, mate retention, and dispersal.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan and Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan identify several conservation objectives for this species. To that end, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has been working with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Bureau of State Parks, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Erie Bird Observatory, and other partners to protect the nesting area from human and natural disturbances, monitor pairs, and evaluate habitat at Presque Isle State Park. The State Park's management plan is one of the few in the Great Lakes population’s historic range to outline specific management tasks for piping plovers. It is due to the strong partnership between federal, state, and local entities that Pennsylvania was well-positioned to be successful upon the plover’s return.