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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023 TOWN OF SOUTHOLD SHOREBIRD REPORT 2023 (All Town of Southold sites except Suffolk County Parks and New York State Parks) /N A J' moi► t. _- - Southold Piping Plover Hatchling(Photos in this report were taken by shorebird steward Laura Helf throughout the 2023 season in the Town of Southold) Written and submitted by Jennifer Murray for North Fork Audubon Society TOWN OF SOUTHOLD ENDANGERED SPECIES SHOREBIRD PROGRAM Threatened and Endangered beach-dependent nesting shorebirds within the Town of Southold were monitored by North Fork Audubon Society (NFAS) from March 2023 through August 2023. This program includes the documentation and monitoring of 24 locations (22 DEC-designated locations), currently active and inactive. Active sites were monitored approximately three times per week throughout the nesting season. Inactive sites were checked for activity three to four times throughout the season. North Fork Audubon's role is to assist the US Fish &Wildlife Service and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation with federal and state conservation efforts to monitor and protect Threatened and Endangered Species. The species in this program include the federally threatened and New York State endangered Piping Plover, the threatened Least Tern, the threatened Common Tern, and the American Oystercatcher. To assist with the protection of these species, NFAS installs symbolic fencing on beaches with nesting shorebirds and posts signs to alert the public of these sensitive nesting habitats. NFAS provides documentation on nesting sites, population, disturbances (weather,vandalism, predators),the number of fledglings and more. Monitoring activities also include checking and maintaining symbolic fencing and reaching out to DEC officers if necessary. As an active partner in the conservation of these threatened and endangered species, NFAS strives to find a balance between human beach recreation and the survival of a species, adhering to the National Audubon campaign to "Share the Shore." In addition to the monitoring, the stewards are continually performing outreach while collecting data. NFAS also participates in the NY Audubon "Be a Good Egg" outreach program which includes visits to elementary schools and educational events. This document provides an overview of the 2023 Shorebird Nesting Season and serves as a stewardship guide for the 2024 season. i , -0 id­ e, PIPING PLOVER (Charadrius me%dus) The Piping Plover is a small sand-colored shorebird, weighing 1.5-2 oz, usually arriving to the North Fork from their wintering grounds by late March-early April. Male plovers establish territories upon arrival,which range in size from .1 acre to 1.7 acres, with nests usually 100-200 feet apart. Ideal nesting habitats are sparsely vegetated beaches between the high tide line and the dune. Nests are shallow scrapes in the sand, lined with shell fragments. Plovers display fidelity to nest sites year after year. First year plovers, breeding for the first time, may return to their birthplace to nest. Plovers are the first to nest of the shorebird species monitored, laying four eggs, incubating for about a month, and usually raising newly hatched young when there is the first major use of beaches by humans, Memorial Day Weekend. Plover chicks can feed independently almost immediately after hatching on marine invertebrates, small crustaceans, insects, insect larvae, molluscs, and other invertebrates. The mobile chicks forage in the intertidal zone, but can be found foraging anywhere from the shoreline into the dune. One day old chicks are capable of traveling a half mile from where they hatched. To avoid predation, the chicks use camouflage by sitting low in the sand/pebbles. During the first two weeks of life, Piping Plover chicks are highly dependent on this defense mechanism, but this leaves chicks vulnerable to being stepped on or run over by a fat tire bicycle or ATV. Chicks are a bit more mobile during the last 2-3 weeks before reaching their fledgling age,which is when they are able to fly for short distances to avoid danger (28-35 days old). If the nest is destroyed or predated upon, the parents will make another nest with fewer eggs. Additional nesting attempts extend the nesting period and decrease the chances of nesting success due to an increase in human activity on beaches and higher chances of predation. When the young fledge,the mother usually departs ahead of the father to the wintering grounds, leaving him to further look over the fledglings until they are strong fliers. Most plover families fledge 1-2 chicks per season. Two or more fledglings (per pair) help the local population grow, so the ideal fledgling rate is 2.0 per pair. _-"01U, 2 LEAST TERN (Sternula antillarum) The least tern is the world's smallest tern,weighing about 1-1.5 ounces and measuring about 9 inches in length. This colonizing shorebird is identified by its black cap,white forehead, pointed wings and forked tail. These noisy and aggressive shorebirds often provide nearby nesting Piping Plovers extra protection against predators, bringing higher nesting success rates. Least Terns are sometimes called "little strikers" because they hunt by striking the water and because parents dive-bomb anyone that approaches their nest or young, accompanied by a scolding "zwreep" alarm call and possibly some droppings. Least Tern young are not very mobile until near fledgling date. Tern chicks often hide in vegetation or hunker down into the sand and disappear much like plover chicks making them vulnerable to being stepped on by beachgoers or run over by ATV's. Least Terns arrive at their nesting grounds in late April to mid-May. Ideal nesting habitats are elevated dredge spoil deposits and sparsely vegetated beaches. North Fork colonies range in size from a half dozen to a hundred adults. This species is highly sensitive to disturbances (predator presence, human activity, flooding) and may abandon a site rather easily. Early (pre-season) fencing before their arrival is integral to help this species avoid site abandonment. Although Least Terns have the shortest fledgling age of our nesting shorebirds, the adults feed the young for a few weeks beyond that date. Least Terns usually head to their wintering grounds by the end of August, flying to the northern coast of South America (Venezuela to Brazil) , in contrast to the Piping Plover's shorter migration to the southern US along the Atlantic Coast (North Carolina to Florida) and the Bahamas. f foil r y � r 1 � :r 3 Town of Southold Shorebird Nesting Locations 1) Mattituck Inlet, Mattituck ................................... page 5 2) Cutchogue Harbor, Cutchogue ............................. page 6 3) Little Creek, Cutchogue ....................................... page 6 4) Richmond Creek, Peconic .................................... page 7 5) Corey Creek, Southold ........................................ page 7 6) Goldsmith Inlet, Peconic ..................................... page 8 7) Kenneys Beach - McCabes Beach, Southold ........... page 8 8) Goose Creek Beach, Southold ............................... page 9 9) Port of Egypt, Southold ........................................ page 9 10) Conkling Point, Greenport .................................. page 10 11) Gull Pond West, Greenport ................................. page 11 12) Truman's Beach, Orient ..................................... page 11 C - 2%Tient r1.UAU.#QN SOCIETY 1 Gree p6rt 2023 Shelter Island Gardinergay Monitoring > W4 eights �\/ Shelter Island /6 1 Southold PePeconic <✓ _ r5 4> 114 2s f3 1 Ctjtchogue North Haven Northwest 2` Harbor -� a No ack Sag Harbor hAa.(tuck N..ew Suffolk Y � .�c �. 1 Mattituck Inlet 7 McCabes Beach to Kenneys Beach,Southold 2 Cutchogue Harbor,Cutchogue 8 Goose Creek,Southold 3 Little Creek,Cutchogue 9 Port of Egypt,Southold 4 Richmond Creek,Peconic 16 Conklin Point,Greenport 5 Corey Creek,Southold 11 Klipps Beach,Greenport 6 Goldsmith Inlet,Peconic 12 Truman's Beach,Orient Avian abbreviations (4-letter ornithological codes) used in this document: PIPL = Piping Plover LETS = Least Tern COTE = Common Tern AMOY = American Oystercatcher Mattituck Inlet, Mattituck Owners: Mattituck Park District, Town of Southold, private property, NY State This site, spanning both sides of Mattituck Inlet, is an increasingly important shorebird nesting and foraging location. With nine Piping Plover pairs nesting in less than a half mile stretch of beach, this is one of the most productive nesting sites on the North Fork. (In comparison, there were seven PIPL pairs within three miles at Orient Beach State Park and seven within one mile along Suffolk County Parkland in Southold.) Key foraging areas include the mud flats on the creek side of Bailie Beach, Mattituck creek at low tide, the tidal flats just east of the jetty at Bailie Beach, and the half mile span of shoreline west of Breakwater Beach. Plovers have also been observed foraging at the Mattituck Inlet Town Park and the adjoining New York State owned land. Least Terns nest just west of the Breakwater jetty. Historically, there has been a colony of 100 Least Terns, but the pandemic caused a dramatic increase in recreational fishing and illegal overnight camping. Human-caused disturbances this season included multiple entries into fenced areas with adequate multilingual signage, an increase in predators attracted to the excessive waste left behind, discarded fish and beer bottles thrown into the nesting areas within a few feet of a plover nest, and driftwood pulled from nesting areas for illegal beach fires. To prevent colony abandonment for the fourth year in a row, portable net fencing (used for sheep) was installed around the least tern colony and along the piping plover habitat. While this method increased the Least Tern productivity, the illegal overnight camping against the fenced areas caused a decline in Piping Plover nesting success. Egg viability decreased from parent plovers spending long periods of time off the nests due to the continual human disturbances, particularly on Memorial Day Weekend. Hatch rates were lowest in the immediate areas where the camping took place. Despite a record number of Piping Plovers pairs, the fledgling rate was low with an average of less than one fledgling per pair. Besides the human disturbances that occurred during the incubation period, chick mortality was high due to an increase in ATV use to the west of Breakwater Beach. Piping Plover families often travel the half mile to the western end of the beach, away from human recreational activities. However, at this section of beach, the biggest threats are illegal ATV use, fat-tire bicycles, and off-leash dogs. Mattituck Inlet Productivity: • PIPL (Piping Plovers) 9 pairs, 8 fledglings (.89 fledge rate) • LETE (Least Terns) -100 pairs, -60 fledglings Mattituck Inlet Site Recommendations: • The Town of Southold should consider altering the end of Inlet Road to prevent ATV's from entering this town beach. While this will not prevent private residents along Sound Beach Drive from using ATV's, it will decrease the amount of illegal ATV use on Town of Southold shorelines. 5 Cutchogue Harbor (Meadow Beach), Cutchogue Owner: The Nature Conservancy This protected peninsula located on the east side of Cutchogue Harbor experiences few human disturbances. However, with the decrease in human activity there is an increase in predator presence. Least Terns historically nested at this site, and this season only two terns showed interest in the site before moving on. Two Piping Plover pairs attempted to nest but experienced nest failure due to raccoon predation. A pair of American Oystercatchers also experienced nest failure. Cutchogue Harbor Productivity: • PIPL 2 pairs, nest failure • AMOY 1 pair, nest failure Cutchogue Harbor Recommendations: • Obtain support and participation of additional property owners to install symbolic fencing to increase population and the success rate of Piping Plovers in the Cutchogue Harbor area. Two additional sites to consider are Wickham Creek and Fleets Neck Beach. Little Creek, Cutchogue Owners: Cutchogue-New Suffolk Park District, Town of Southold, Private Property This site encompasses shoreline on the western side of Hog Neck Bay, with Piping Plovers and Least Terns nesting a quarter mile south of Little Creek (aka "Little Creek South") atop the dredge spoil located at Nassau Point Causeway Beach. The Least Tern colony was productive, fledgling at least 50 chicks. The Piping Plovers had another successful season nesting within the Least Tern colony for some protection against predators, with one pair fledging 3 chicks and the other pair fledging 4 chicks. The Arrowhead Lane pair did not return to nest this season. Little Creek Productivity: • PIPL 2 pairs, 7 fledglings (3.5 fledge rate) • LETE 35-40 pairs, 50+ fledglings Little Creek Recommendations: • Install educational signage at the end of Bay Avenue on town property to increase awareness. Since plover chicks make the quarter mile trek to the Little Creek inlet's mudflats to forage, informational signs will help dispel the common misconception that plover chicks stay behind the fenced-off areas during chick rearing. • Install symbolic fencing on town property to the eastern side of Little Creek, with signage alerting dog walkers to keep dogs leashed on town property. This site was an active nesting area prior to severe erosion. However, the beach has recovered and should be protected for plover pairs. Richmond Creek, Peconic Owners: private property This nesting site is situated on the north side of Hog Neck Bay in Peconic, east of Indian Neck Beach and west of South Harbor Beach. A dredge spoil exists at this site which is suitable for Least Terns, Piping Plovers, and American Oystercatchers. Least Terns last nested at this site in 2021, but abandoned the site due to human disturbance. Piping Plovers have been successfully nesting on the easternmost area of this site for the past three seasons. The mudflats at the mouth of the creek are important foraging areas for plovers. There has been an increase in dogs being walked off-leash despite postage informational signage and outreach. Richmond Creek Productivity: • PIPL 1 pair, 3 fledglings (3.0 fledge rate) Richmond Creek Recommendations: • Continue to post informational signage at the end of Indian Neck Lane, alerting dog walkers of the nesting activity. Corey Creek, Southold Owners: Private Property, Town of Southold, Southold Park District, Beach Assoc. This formerly inactive plover site includes an important shorebird foraging area for both nesting shorebirds and migrating birds. Piping Plovers haven't nested at this site since 2018. Two plover pairs made a total of three nest attempts with no chicks fledged. Unleashed dog walking is likely the cause of nest failure. A small Least Tern colony successfully fledged approximately 20 chicks. One American Oystercatcher pair fledged one chick. Corey Creek Productivity: • PIPL 2 pairs, 0 fledglings • LETE -20 pairs, -20 fledglings Corey Creek Recommendations: • Continue fencing the town parcel at Moyles Cove, confirm permission from the property owners to the west and east of this town lot. • Fence the dune grass area at the end of South Harbor Road at the mouth of Richmond Creek (town property). Obtain permission from the park district to fence off grassy areas suitable for plover nesting just east of the town parcel. • Obtain permission if necessary of the joint town/ county conservation area at Corey Creek Mouth to symbolically fence sections that are suitable for nesting Piping Plovers. • Informational signage at beach entry points, particularly South Harbor Road and Wampum Way, will be necessary to alert beach walkers and dog walkers of actively nesting shorebirds. Goldsmith Inlet, Peconic-Southold Owner: Town of Southold, Suffolk County Parks, private property The Goldsmith Inlet Town Beach site, located on the Long Island Sound, is one small section of the greater DEC site titled "Goldsmith Inlet," which extends a quarter mile west (southwest) of Goldsmith Inlet and two and a half miles east (northeast) to Horton Point Lighthouse. The Suffolk County Parks Department manages and monitors the inner section of this DEC site: Peconic Dunes, Soundview Dunes, and Goldsmith Inlet County Parks. The eastern section includes the two town beaches (McCabes and Kenney's Beaches) and the private beach community in between the two town beaches. Collectively there were approximately 9 PIPL pairs, with one pair at Goldsmith Inlet Town Beach and two pairs between McCabes and Kenney's Beaches. The Least Tern colony was located between the two town beaches along the stretch of private beach. Goldsmith Inlet Productivity (Town Beach in Peconic): • PIPL 1 pair, nest failure - this pair likely moved to Goldsmith Inlet County Park for its second nest attempt. Kenney's Beach - McCabes Beach Productivity (Town Beaches in Southold plus private beach community): • PIPL 2 pairs, one pair fledged one chick, it is unknown if the second pair successfully fledged any chicks since the two chicks were not observed past two weeks of age. (0.5 fledge rate) • LETE -40 adults fledged about 15-20 chicks Goldsmith Inlet Recommendations: • Add educational signage to the westernmost beach access (650 feet west of Goldsmith Inlet Town Beach jetty) to notify dog walkers and beachgoers of Piping Plover presence and chick hatches, since the plover family at Goldsmith Inlet usually travels a quarter mile west post hatch. • Create additional support and awareness from the surrounding beach communities through continued outreach events. • Consider installing symbolic fencing at the McCabes and Kenney's Town Beaches near the dunes where few beach goers recreate. This will encourage plover pairs to nest in protected areas since it is difficult to monitor and protect plovers in the private beach section. • Post formal Piping Plover and Least Tern conservation signs at McCabes and Kenney's Beaches. To avoid off leash dog walking between the two town beaches and to avoid entry onto private property above the high tide line (where the unprotected shorebirds nest), fishermen, beach walkers and dog walkers should be notified through signage posted at each end of the private beach community to walk along the shoreline and avoid walking above the high tide line. Goose Creek Southold Owners: Town of Southold This Town Beach site is situated on Southold Bay. Goose Creek Beach is a nesting habitat for one Piping Plover pair and a small Least Tern colony. An autumn dredge project shifted the bathing beach south, taking away shorebird nesting habitat and bathing beach. To compensate for the loss of protected nesting area, additional symbolic fencing was added to the south. Goose Creek Beach experiences heavy foot and boat traffic once the summer season is underway. There has been an increase in off-leash dog walking at Goose Creek Beach this season throughout the nesting season. Goose Creek Productivity: • PIPL 1 pair, 2 fledglings (2.0 fledge rate) • LETE 6 pairs, 8 fledglings (increase in pairs, same fledge rate as 2022) Goose Creek Recommendations: • Continue public outreach at this site and the use of informational signage. • Consider the creation of signs to notify dog walkers of the town code which states dogs are not permitted within 50 feet of a posted nesting area. § 193-3.1 (2013) Port of Egypt, Southold Owner: private property This island across from the Port of Egypt Marina has become a Great Black-backed Gull colony site, with over 60 nests documented. Also nesting on this island: Herring Gulls, Least Terns, Common Terns, American Oystercatchers. Historically, Piping Plovers have nested at this site, but not the last three seasons. Port of Egypt Productivity: LETE 12-13 pairs, 12+ fledglings COTE 1 pair, 1 fledgling AMOY 3 pairs (9 adults total), 5 fledglings (higher success this season) Port of Egypt Recommendations: • Repair Osprey nesting platform • Check vegetation percentage suitable for COTE & LETE at the western end. Conkling Point, Greenport Owner: private community, subdivision park, private property This crescent-shaped peninsula/island located on Shelter Island Sound is designated as an important wildlife habitat. Prior to the 1980's, three pairs of Piping Plovers would nest here annually, plus a large Least Tern colony. There is little to no shoreline at high tide so human disturbance can be significant at this site. Symbolic fencing and signage was installed on the western side, owned by the Breezy Shores Association. This season, the western end was closed off to humans since there is an inadequate buffer for nesting shorebirds even at low tide. Unfortunately, this does not protect the shorebirds from flooding. Conkling Point Productivity: PIPL 2 pairs, nest failure LETS 1 pair, nest failure AMOY 1 pair, nest failure Conkling Point Recommendations: • Continue working with the Breezy Shore Association for public outreach and awareness. • Fence the nesting area early, including the American Oystercatcher nesting area to the north of the plovers. Proper management of this shorebird site includes closing off the western end completely to pedestrians early in the season. Human disturbances may have inadvertently caused nest failures of Piping Plovers due to the delay in the nesting season. • Obtain permission to fence the southern section of this crescent. • Informational signage at the beach entry should help alert beach walkers and dog walkers to avoid the western section during the incubation and chick rearing stages, encouraging them to remain on the eastern side of the crescent. • With permission from Breezy Shores, install trail cameras to document potential predators. • Remove invasive / successive vegetation from the southern portion to increase shorebird nesting habitat and reduce cover favored by predators such as owls, crows and raccoons. • Consider building the beach up at this site. Gull Pond West (Klipps Beach/Gull Pond Beach), Greenport Owner: private property This shorebird nesting site is located on Orient Harbor in Greenport approximately 2/10 of a mile to the west of the Norman E. Klipp Marine Park, near the jetty, known as Youngs Point. There is a salt pond behind the nesting area which provides plover chicks additional (and protected) foraging area in front of the residential homes. The dunes to the east of the jetty were used by a colony of Least Terns. LETS did not use this site in the 2021 season. Gull Pond West Productivity: PIPL 1 pair, 2 fledglings (2.0 fledge rate) LETS -15 pairs, -18 fledglings (-60% fledged) Gull Pond West Recommendations: • Continue outreach events at this site. Continue to post informational signage at the beach's entry and the town property to the west, before the private stretch of beach. • Continue reaching out to the landowners for support and participation in shorebird management. A second pair had been noted the past few seasons, competing with the existing pair, but unsuccessful at nesting attempts, probably due to a lack of undisturbed/protected nesting habitat between the existing pair and the town beach to the east. If additional symbolic fencing is installed, it may provide the nesting area needed for a second PIPL pair, avoiding territorial competition. • Consider the creation of signs to notify dog walkers of the town code which states dogs are not permitted within 50 feet of a posted nesting area. § 193-3.1 (2013) Truman's Beach, Orient Owners: NY State, Orient-East Marion Park District, private property A Least Tern colony began nesting on the east end of the park district property and the adjoining private property to the east in 2022. This tern colony has been difficult to monitor due to the lack of permission from the last land owner (property was sold this summer). About 30 adults have been documented at this site with low productivity due to trespassing fishermen disturbing the colony. Truman's Beach Productivity: • LETE -30 adults, -10 fledglings Truman's Beach Recommendations: • Continue to fence the eastern end of the park district. Seek permission from the land owners of the two lots to the east of the park district to install symbolic fencing to protect the nesting shorebirds from trampling and other potential disturbances. Town of Southold Shorebird Management Recommendations • Continue to work with Southold Police Department on active nesting shorebird violations, and the timing of PIPL chick hatches and ATV deployment. • Continue to partner with private property owners, park districts, environmental organizations, USFWS, DEC, Suffolk County Parks, and NY State Parks on shorebird conservation and protection. • Work with the appropriate Town of Southold environmental division on the strategic planning of dredging projects. • Continue public outreach events and the installation of educational displays and informational signage, creating town wide support and participation of Threatened and Endangered shorebird species conservation. • Create signs to notify beach goers of the town code that states dogs are not permitted on "land that is within 50 feet of any recreation area that is posted for protection of piping plovers and other endangered species.' § 193-3.1 (2013) • Consider defining dog leash length up to 6 feet, since dogs have been observed inside symbolically fenced areas - still on leash with 25 foot leads. • Consider banning fat tire bicycles near nesting shorebirds. eBikes should be prohibited as they are motorized vehicles. • Consider creating a list of dog friendly beaches where dog walkers may walk dogs on leash and designated areas for off leash (dog runs). • It is recommended that dunes systems within the Town of Southold are protected year round, by focusing foot traffic on designated trails and keeping driftwood logs for dune build up further increasing sustainable dune systems. • Dredging projects within the Town of Southold should have nesting shorebirds in mind when depositing on beaches since coastal flooding is more severe and occuring more frequently.