Snowy Plover

Click on photo for a larger version. Above: Young plover with parent Below: Eggs, posting signs on paths

Snowy Plover Basics

Size

The snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) is a small beach-nesting shorebird found in temperate and subtropical zones worldwide. On average, adult snowy plovers have a wingspan of about 13.4 in and weigh about 1.2 - 2 oz. By comparison, Laughing Gulls, which are a common beach bird in Sarasota County, have a wingspan of 40-42 in and weigh about 11.5 oz.

Breeding and Nesting

• Each nesting season, a pair will lay between two and six pale buff eggs with black or gray marks in a nest on the open beach, which the male has made.

• It’s a shallow ground depression lined with shell fragments or grass.

• Both male and female incubate eggs for 24 to 32 days.

• Young fly at 26 to 31 days.

• The pair will raise one or two broods per year.

  • If first nesting attempts are unsuccessful, they may lay a third.

Foraging and Feeding

Snowy Plover: feeds on small crustaceans and soft-bodied invertebrates. Forages in wet sand and surf-cast kelp, in dry, sandy areas above the high tide, on saltpans, on spoil sites, and along the edges of salt marshes, salt ponds and lagoons; sometimes probes in sand or gleans from vegetation.

The snowy plover is distributed patchily within North America, it inhabits coastal beaches, lagoons, inland alkali flats and lakes, and mudflats. An estimated 18,000 snowy plovers breed in North America, and these populations are threatened by habitat degradation from development, human activity and invasive species. The Florida population of breeding snowy plovers is relatively discrete when considering the North American population overall. The Gulf coast population is under review for increased protection as habitats continue to be impacted and numbers decline. Currently, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission list the snowy plover as a threatened species.

Florida Shorebird Alliance

Sarasota Audubon Society

For several years, snowy plovers have been nesting on the beaches of Lido and Siesta keys. They lay their nests on the open beach, generally in an area of sparse vegetation with easy access to the shoreline for foraging. With a small egg laid on the bare sand, their nests are particularly vulnerable to disturbance or predation. Even once an egg has hatched, chicks are small (about the size of a cotton ball) and may easily become prey for larger birds, ghost crabs, and other predators. The first few months of a snowy plover’s life are tenuous.

In order to help ensure successful nesting, Sarasota County and the Sarasota Audubon Society have worked together to prepare the Sarasota County Snowy Plover Adaptive Management Strategies for Siesta Key (Public Beach Access numbers 5-11), north and south Lido Beach Parks. This document acts as a tool kit for county staff to adaptively manage public beach access points and parks throughout the nesting season. This document does not apply to private property.

During the 2010 breeding season, several of the adaptive management strategies listed in the document were implemented. Specifically, the Sarasota County Parks and Recreation department closed the Beach Access #7 footpath to direct pedestrian traffic away from an area of heavy nesting activity. In addition, Sarasota Audubon Society deployed volunteers to monitor the birds and help guide visitors to other areas of the beach where recreation activities would not adversely affect the birds. As a result, seven snowy plover chicks fledged this year on Siesta Key, which is a record number. For the upcoming seasons, similar management strategies will be employed to help maintain this positive trend.

If you have questions or comments about the plan or contact Rachel Herman at rherman@scgov.net