HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010 End of Season ReportNorth Fork Audubon Society Endangered Species Program
End of Season Report 2010
Of the 20 sites that North Fork Audubon Society covered this season only seven were active with
plover and/or tern nesting. 300 site visits (200 by me and 100 by volunteers) were recorded, which
breaks down to an average of 15 visits per site for the season. Of course active sites received more of
those visits than non‐active sites. Nine piping plover pairs produced nine young. That is an average of
1 young per pair. 159 pairs of least terns produced 71 young for an average of .45 young per pair.
(Note: least tern young are difficult to count due to disparities in nesting timetables and varying ages
of chicks at the same site)
As in years past, there remained challenges for birds and monitors alike. Pedestrians, dog walking
(leashed and unleashed), ATV use, vandalism, crow and gull predation, development, etc..
Specifically speaking, ATV use at Breakwater Beach went on all season long and had devastating
effects on nesting birds there. At some beaches in Southold, beach grooming was done without any
coordination with North Fork Audubon. I believe that this should not happen again since birds could
be nesting or young could be present on the beach, and that kind of activity would definitely have a
negative impact on nest productivity. In addition, grooming removes the wrack line that plovers often
forage in.
Vandalism took place at McCabe’s Beach in the form of cut string fence and an attempt to remove an
exclosure. At Causeway Beach in Cutchogue, string fence was cut a couple of times and had to be
redone. Breakwater Beach was impacted by string fencing being cut and fence posts stolen.
Recommendations to address some of these issues are to: 1) meet with Mattituck Park District and
law enforcement authorities to try to stop the ATV use at Breakwater Beach. 2) Coordinate with
Southold Town to work out a schedule for beach grooming. 3) Ask Southold police to crack down on
dog walkers on the beaches.
In closing, I would like to thank all NFAS volunteers, NFAS board members, NYDEC, USFWS, Joe
Jannsen (TNC), Carolyn Spilman (ANY), Jane Roman (home owner at Gull Pond), and all the others
that helped to protect the terns and plovers on our North Fork beaches.
North Fork Audubon Society, Endangered Species Project
Piping Plover and Least Tern Monitoring
End of Season Report 2010
The North Fork Audubon Society monitors and protects Piping Plover and Least Tern
nesting activity every year throughout the months of April‐August. The following report is a site‐
by‐site summary of each of the 20 sites managed by the North Fork Audubon Society, beginning
with an overall numerical summary. Each section includes site‐specific information regarding
nesting activity, habitat suitability, overall productivity, as well as other relevant information.
Site Habitat
Suitability
Number of
PIPL Pairs
Number of
PIPL Nests
Total PIPL
Fledglings
Size of
LETE
Colony
Number
of
Visits
Angel
Shores 5 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 5
Conkling
Point 2 1 1 ? ‐ 10
Corey
Creek 2 1 3 0 12 41
Cutchogue
(Private) 3 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 2
Cutchogue
(TNC) 1 1 1 2 100 39
Downs
Creek 4 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 7
Goldsmith’s
Inlet 3 1 1 1 ‐ 51
Goose
Creek 3 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 5
Gull Pond
West 2 3 3 6 66 51
Hashamomuck
Beach 3 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 5
James
Creek 5 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 2
Jockey Creek
Spoil Island 5 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 3
Kimogener
Point 5 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 2
Little
Creek 3 1 2 0 28 37
Little Hog
Neck 4 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 5
Marratooka
Point 5 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 4
Mattituck
Inlet 3 1 1 0 60 38
Site Habitat
Suitability
Number of
PIPL Pairs
Number of
PIPL Nests
Total PIPL
Fledglings
Size of
LETE
Colony
Number
of
Visits
Paradise
Point 4 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 2
Pipes
Cove 3 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 4
Port of
Egypt 3 0 ‐ ‐ 32 18
Richmond
Creek 3 0 ‐ ‐ ‐ 15
Habitat Suitability Rating:
1 Ideal habitat. Ample beach space between high tide mark and beginning of vegetation,
valuable foraging grounds.
2 Suitable nesting habitat. Some human disturbance. Ample beach space above the high
tide mark, and valuable foraging grounds.
3 Suitable nesting habitat but frequent human disturbance and/or predator presence.
Ample beach space above the high tide mark, but other factors diminish nesting success.
4 Generally unsuitable habitat. Insufficient area above high tide mark to make a nest but
somewhat suitable foraging habitat. Significant human disturbance.
5 Unsuitable habitat. No beach area above high tide mark due to groins or bulk‐heading.
Significant human disturbance.
Productivity
T o t a l n u m b e r o f P I P L p a i r s : 9
N u m b e r o f n e s t a t t e m p t s : 1 2
N u m b e r o f n e s t s t h a t h a t c h e d : 9
Number of confirmed fledged chicks: 9
Number of PIPL young fledged per pair: 1
N u m b e r o f L E T E c o l o n i e s : 6
Approximate number of nesting LETE pairs: 149
A p p r o x i m a t e n u m b e r o f f l e d g e d L E T E c h i c k s : 6 8
N u m b e r o f L E T E y o u n g f l e d g e d p e r p a i r : . 4 5
Angel Shores
Angel Shores does not contain suitable nesting habitat and has not been occupied by Piping
Plovers or Least Terns in recent years. No transient birds were seen foraging at this site at any
time in the nesting season. It is recommended that it be removed from the list of sites covered by
the North Fork Audubon Society.
Conkling Point
This site is privately owned and more or less off limits to NFAS. However, if approached below
mean high tide line this site can be monitored somewhat effectively. There is a small amount of
nesting habitat but the lack of disturbance by pedestrians make this site a desirable nesting place
for piping plovers.
One pair of plovers did nest here in 2010 but due to difficulty in accessing the site it is unknown
if any young were produced. The nest was reported to Chip Hamilton of the DEC and he stated
that he would contact the landowner to discuss the situation. No further information was relayed
to me by the DEC.
Corey Creek
Corey Creek should be divided into three areas in order to better define where birds may be
nesting. 1. South Harbor Beach, 2. Corey Creek West, and 3. Corey Creek East, which is accessed
from the Takapoosha Shores housing development. Dividing the areas would make it simpler to
describe where nesting occurs.
One pair of plovers nested on the South Harbor section, but no young were produced from the
three nest attempts that pair made. Crows were the likely culprits. The first two nest attempts
were predated before they could be exclosed, the third clutch was exclosed but crows were
observed on the exclosure the same day the young were hatching. Those young were never seen
outside the exclosure.
Least terns attempted to nest on the Corey Creek East site but fox predated the six or so nests
that were there.
Cutchogue Harbor (Private)
The so called private section of Cutchogue Harbor has good nesting habitat, but too much
disturbance in the way of development and pedestrian use to support nesting plovers or terns.
Cutchogue Harbor (TNC)
This TNC site also known as Meadow Beach is a very good nesting site since it is privately owned
and difficult to get to by foot. The only real disturbance would be by boaters coming ashore. One
pair of plovers produced two young and nearly 50 pairs of least terns produced 30 young.
Carolyn Spilman of New York Audubon monitored this site with support from The Nature
Conservancy.
Downs Creek
Downs Creek has some marginal nesting habitat, but development and pedestrian use makes it
an unsuitable nesting area.
Goldsmith’s Inlet
Goldsmith’s Inlet is another site that should be divided into three distinct sections. 1. McCabe’s
Beach, 2. Kenney’s Beach, and 3. Goldsmith’s Inlet. One pair of plovers nested at McCabe’s Beach
in a high pedestrian traffic area, but still managed to hatch three chicks. Also, there was some
vandalism in the way of damaged fencing and an exclosure partially uprooted.
The pair moved their young west to the area between Kenney’s and McCabe’s, eventually ending
up at Kenney’s. Unfortunately, only one young fledged.
Goose Creek
There is a good amount of nesting habitat at this site but it is very popular with beach goers. As a
result, birds seem to avoid this area as a nesting place.
Gull Pond West
Gull pond was very active this year with three pairs of plovers and over 30 pairs of least terns
nesting. The three pair of plovers produced six fledged young and the terns fledged 25 young.
This was by far the most productive site in 2010.
There was a great deal of disturbance there by pedestrians, dogs, and boaters coming on shore,
but even so, the birds persisted and had a successful nesting season. It is recommended that
more of this site is pre‐fenced due to many birds nesting outside of the original pre‐fenced area
which was done by TNC in early April.
Hashamomuck Beach
If it wasn’t for the possibility that plovers or terns could actually nest here, it would be
recommended that this site be taken off the list for monitoring by NFAS. There are too many
gulls that are fed there and as a result stay all day long waiting for the next bag of bread or the
like. Gulls are a major predator of young terns and plovers, so it should noted by signage that
feeding gulls is prohibited. That being said, the volume of beach walkers with and without dogs
also makes the site unsuitable for nesting, so it may be moot to prohibit feeding gulls there.
James Creek
James Creek does not contain suitable nesting habitat and has not been occupied by Piping
Plovers or Least Terns in recent years. It is recommended that it be removed from the list of
sites monitored by the North Fork Audubon Society.
Jockey Creek Spoil Island
Jockey Creek Spoil Island does not contain suitable nesting habitat and has not been occupied by
Piping Plovers or Least Terns in recent years. It is recommended that it be removed from the list
of sites monitored by the North Fork Audubon Society.
Kimogener Point
Kimogener Point contains some foraging habitat, but very little suitable nesting habitat. Because
most of the site is covered with groins that straddle beach‐homes, the beach is severely eroded
and does not contain much area above the high tide mark. It is recommended that this site be
removed from the list of sites monitored by the North Fork Audubon Society.
Little Creek
Little Creek contains a large area of ideal nesting and foraging habitat for both PIPL and LETE.
One pair of PIPL nested here in 2010. The pair nested twice on the public side of the creek. Both
nests hatched successfully, but the chicks were predated within days. A colony of about 30 LETE
nested on the public side and fledged 10 young. However, it should be mentioned that the colony
disappeared for a week in June before returning to begin nesting again. As a result a few late
nests were present in August which led to the fencing not being taken down until August 26.
This site is a very popular beach location, but for the most part, people tended to recreate near
the bathroom building and away from the fenced‐off nesting area. Still, people walking by the
fenced area were a disturbance to the nesting birds, causing interrupted incubation.
Little Hog Neck
Little Hog Neck is somewhat unsuitable because there is no sandy beach area; the entire
peninsula is covered with rocks. Additionally, because this site is so exposed, it is generally
much windier than any other site. Many small shorebirds and gulls were observed loafing at the
point throughout the nesting season.
There is some more suitable nesting habitat to the east of the beach access point. Both sides
should checked for birds.
Marratooka Point
Marratooka Point does not contain suitable nesting habitat and has not been occupied by Piping
Plovers or Least Terns in recent years. Because most of the site is covered with groins that
straddle beach‐homes, the beach is severely eroded and does not contain any area above the
high tide mark that is not immediately adjacent to houses.
It is recommended that this site be removed from the list of sites monitored by the North Fork
Audubon Society.
Mattituck Inlet
Mattituck Inlet contains one of the largest areas of suitable nesting habitat of any of the North
Fork sites. However, it also one of the most disturbed. The biggest problem at this site is ATV
use. A few residents that have homes on the beach own ATVs and use them throughout the
nesting season. Most of the use takes place on the private part of the beach, but tracks were
observed on the public side as well. This illegal activity was reported to the local environmental
police officer two times but the use went on unabated. Other disturbances were pedestrians,
dogs, gulls, etc.
Minor vandalism occurred on a couple of occasions in the form of damaged fencing.
All these disturbances had a deleterious effect on nesting success of both plovers and terns. The
one pair of plovers that nested in front of one the homes had only one egg hatch out of four. This
could be due to continually interrupted incubation. The chick was only seen a couple of times
before it perished due to unknown causes. It should be noted that after this chick fledged the
ATV use peaked in the nesting area.
The Least terns started off with very good numbers (100+) in June, but by the end of July only 19
birds were left on the site. As further testament to the disruptions at this site only 3 tern young
fledged. That is very disappointing for the “best” beach nesting site on the North Fork.
Measures need to be taken by DEC, Mattituck Park District, and local authorities if this site is
going to be productive at all in the future.
Paradise Beach Point
Paradise Beach Point contains some nesting habitat, but no PIPL or LETE have been observed
there in recent years. The entire point is privately owned. A large dog has the run of the
property, which could act as a deterrent to new birds looking to nest there.
Pipes Cove
Pipes Cove contains suitable nesting habitat only at the end of Pipes Neck Road but is a popular
place for people to walk. No suitable nesting habitat exists at either of the Silvermere Road
access points, and it is recommended that these parts of the site be removed from the list of
suitable nesting sites monitored by the North Fork Audubon Society.
Port of Egypt
Port of Egypt contains suitable nesting habitat for LETE and PIPL, but in recent years has become
the nesting site for a colony of great black‐back gulls. The gulls take over the small dredge spoil
island throughout most of the nesting season, making this site an unlikely future PIPL nesting
site.
This site was, however, the nesting site for a sizeable LETE colony (30+). The LETE nested on the
east side of the island. It is unlikely that any LETE chicks could survive sharing such a small area
with over 60 Black Back Gulls and their 50+ full‐grown chicks.
Richmond Creek
Richmond Creek contains some suitable nesting habitat. However, pedestrian use and dogs seem
to have a negative impact on nesting attempts. This site has very good foraging habitat. There
has been nesting activity in recent years but not in 2010.
Tern and Plover Year End Summary 2010
Little Creek Cutchogue‐ One pair of plovers had two nest attempts. First attempt produced four young and the
second, two. All young perished after a few days from unknown circumstances.
Least terns had a colony of over thirty birds with fourteen incubating. Colony was abandoned in early June
possibly due to high tide. Terns came back in mid June, with a maximum of 28 terns counted in late July.
Probably ten young fledged from this site.
Gull Pond Greenport‐ Three pairs of plovers nested. Two pairs fledged three young each, and the third pair,
which was the last one to nest, hatched only 1 young, and it disappeared soon after.
Terns did very well here. There were usually 50 plus terns at the site on each visit with a high of 66 counted. A
high of 25 young, all but four fledged, was counted on August 5.
Goldsmith’s Inlet (McCabe’s & Kenney’s Beaches) Southold‐ piping plover pair with one fledged young left area
on July 23. Originally had three young, one egg didn’t hatch.
Mattituck Inlet‐ Historically this site has the biggest nesting colony of least terns. In mid June there were over
100 least terns with 47 incubating. The colony steadily dwindled to a count of only 12 adult terns with only 3
fledged young on August 3. My guess is ATV use was the major contributing factor in the decline. The one pair
of plovers that nested only produced one young, as the other three eggs did not hatch. Unfortunately that one
chick perished shortly after hatching.
Port Of Egypt Greenport‐ This a major Great Black‐backed Gull nesting site. The most gulls counted there was
on June 29. 59 adults with 52 young. At the eastern most point of the island there were 16 incubating least
terns and 2 common terns nesting. The common tern nests eventually were abandoned and no least terns
produced any young.
Corey Creek (South Harbor Beach) Southold‐ The piping plover pair there had two nests taken by crows, after
which, we finally exclosed the third nest. The crows also predated the young the third clutch produced. I
actually observed two crows, one sitting on the exclosure and the other just outside of it. I scared them off and
observed one plover chick trying to get up out of the scrape and run for cover at the encouragement of the
adult plover. I am sure the crows were waiting for them to exit the exclosure after I left. All this transpired on
June 24. I never saw any plovers at that site after that date. Least terns attempted to nest on the east side of
Corey Creek mouth. A high of six nests were observed. Unfortunately, fox predated all the eggs, and the terns
abandoned.
Conkling Point Greenport‐ Found a PIPL 4 egg nest in a small stand of Northern Bayberry. Just a few feet away
was a willet nest. This is private property and the owner does not want trespassers there. After I found the
nest I let Chip Hamilton of the DEC know and he was going to do the LICWA survey, with permission from the
property owner, the following week or so. I never returned to the site at the warning of Chip Hamilton so I
don’t have any further information on that pair.
Meadow Beach Cutchogue‐ This site was covered by Carolyn Spilman of Audubon New York, although I did visit
the site once during the season. One pair of piping plovers produced two young which I did actually saw
fledged. Least terns arrived late but were very successful with 50 pair producing 30 young.