Piping Plover Volunteer Meeting: Announcement

NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

For more information, contact Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Training offered on May 14 for volunteer piping plover, beachnester monitors

LEWES (April 6, 2011) – Volunteers who would like to learn more about Delaware’s endangered piping plovers and other beachnesters and find out how they can join DNREC’s monitoring team are invited to a free training session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Biden Center at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes.

The session will begin with refreshments and a slideshow, followed by a discussion on the monitoring program and how volunteers can help to ensure that our beachnesting shorebirds are given the peace and quiet they need to successfully rear their chicks.

Weather permitting, the group will finish out the session by going out to the Point at Cape Henlopen to look for piping plovers and other shorebirds that will likely be out on the tidal flats feeding. A few birding scopes and pairs of binoculars will be available for use, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own optics if they have them.

Wildlife Biologist Matthew Bailey hopes the session will draw both new and seasoned volunteers – and plenty of them – to help DNREC staff in their efforts to protect beachnesters and educate the public.

“Volunteers are a critical component of our protection efforts. When posted at the boundaries of the nesting areas, they can help explain to the public facts about the breeding birds and the importance of keeping closed areas free of human disturbance. Without having volunteers to supplement the coverage that our staff can provide, many people might never have the chance to better understand how humans can make a difference in the breeding success of beachnesting birds,” Bailey said.

Preregistration is encouraged, but attendees also will be accepted at the door. Park entrance fees will be waived for volunteers attending the training by notifying the fee booth attendant. For more information, please contact Wildlife Biologist Matt Bailey at 302-382-4151 or email matthew.bailey@state.de.us.

Vol. 41, No. X

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Piping Plover Volunteer Meeting: CHSP Biden Center

This is just in!  Take note if you want to join: Bird Police!  

 Be There or Be Eaten By an Osprey!

From:

Matthew Bailey
Wildlife Biologist
Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program
(302) 735-8677 (office)
(302) 382-4151 (cell)

Beach-Nester Update April 12, 2010

The 2010 beach-nesting bird season has gotten off to a solid start.  The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park (CHSP) was closed to the public on March 1st.  During the first week in March, fencing at CHSP’s Gordons Pond and at Delaware Seashore State Park was erected to protect potential and known nesting areas.

For the past two weeks piping plovers have been seen regularly at both the Point and Gordons Pond.  Most surveys have been conducted during or after times of high winds, so, it has not been possible to determine whether the plovers are making nest scrapes yet (the wind erases from the sand bird tracks and unmaintained nest scrapes).

American Oystercatchers have been seen regularly at the Point and also at Fowlers Beach on the Delaware Bay.  Unfortunately, the high winds have made it difficult to determine if the oystercatchers have progressed to the nest scrape stage of their breeding season.

A date has been set for the annual volunteer orientation.  Both new and experienced volunteers are invited to the orientation.  At the orientation Matthew Bailey, Division of Fish and Wildlife biologist who coordinates the beach-nester monitoring and protection program, will report on outcomes of the 2009 breeding season and will discuss the types of activities that beach-nester volunteers can assist with. Matt will use a slide show to illustrate the information covered.  Returning volunteers will be encouraged to share their impressions of their experiences working with the program and to offer advice to new volunteers.

The orientation will be held May 15 from 11am until 1pm at the CHSP Biden Center.  Refreshments will be served and, weather permitting, Matt will lead a field trip to search for piping plovers and other shorebirds on the tidal flats at the Point.

 

 Thanks,

Matthew Bailey
Wildlife Biologist
Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program
(302) 735-8677 (office)
(302) 382-4151 (cell)
matthew.bailey@state.de.us

DNREC Release on the Minke Whale Stranding

Release:

Matthew Bailey

Wildlife Biologist

Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program

An Eventful Weekend.  Thanks to all the volunteers who helped to make the best of a tough situation.

On Saturday, August 8 at about 10:45 a.m., staff of Cape Henlopen State Park (CHSP) reported to Matt Bailey, Wildlife Biologist with the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) in the Division o f Fish and Wildlife, that a whale had beached itself on the bayside of the Point in the protected nesting area for Piping Plovers, a species protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Volunteers and Division biologists familiar with the specific location of plover chicks at the Point assisted by monitoring chick movements, participating in response, rescue and recovery decisions in coordination with MERR Institute (Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation) and CHSP staff to avoid and minimize impacts to plovers, and by talking with the public and ensuring they kept a safe distance from both the rescue operation and plover chicks.   It was determined that the whale was a 22-foot long Minke that stranded on the tidal flats about 150 feet inside the closed area.  Several attempts were made to coax the whale back into deeper water, but each time the whale turned around and headed back into the shallows.  A veterinarian was called in to assess and ultimately to euthanize the whale.  Five volunteers with MERR also volunteer for the Plover Watch project, which greatly assisted with providing accurate information to the public about both the whale and the piping plovers.   The Division continued to assist with monitoring plovers and speaking with the public on Sunday, August 9 while MERR conducted a necropsy.  Under the circumstances, the Division appreciates the cooperative spirit among state agencies, MERR and all of the volunteers who assisted with this stranding event.

Matthew Bailey

Wildlife Biologist

Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program

Phone: (302) 382-4151

matthew.bailey@state.de.us

Piping Plover Watch!

Delaware's Fish & Wildlife, Matt Bailey, at Cape Henlopen's Biden Center, on Saturday May 9th,  hosted the Volunteers Piping Plover Training.  

 We were about 50 strong and totally at rapt attention despite the distractions of yummy treats and the arrival after ~ 14 days of rain.... ta-da.. sunny weather.

Pictures of Piping Plover chicks are all fuzzy-wuzzy and too-cute-as-can-be and thus sealed the deal for our commitment as "Monitors".  We will watch the restricted breeding areas for human and other disturbances.

After the training we headed to CHSP's "The Point", for on the job training!  Maybe that was a Piping Plover fly-by, but to me it looked like white fluff!

My Monitor gig will be at "The Point" to take in sunset........or maybe the same at Gordon's Pond Tower.