Washington State Snowy Plover Population Monitoring, Research, and Management: 2022 Nesting Season Research Progress Report

During the 2022 western snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) nesting season, we counted the number of nesting adult snowy plovers at potential nesting sites in Washington and, to a limited extent, monitored breeding phenology, nest success, and fledging success at Leadbetter Point. Field monitoring was conducted by Cyndie Sundstrom, William Ritchie, and Larissa Ritzman, with assistance from Anthony Novack, Marissa Cent, Kelsey Lotz, Richard Ashley, and others. Management activities included restricting human access to nesting sites and restoring nesting habitat. The following is a summary of some of our 2022 activities and results:

Breeding Phenology 

• Nest searching efforts were conducted early May through late July.
• Detected clutches were initiated between 23 May and 24 July.
• Monitoring at Leadbetter point indicated several hatch year chicks late in the breeding season, though they could not be associated with specific nests.

Breeding Range 

• Twenty-five breeding surveys at nine sites in two counties were conducted between 23 May and 24 June 2022 to assess site occupancy status or to count the total number of adults detected.
• Snowy plover nests were observed at Conner Creek, Graveyard Spit, and Leadbetter Point.

Number of Breeding Adults 

• The mean 2022 Washington breeding adult population was 64 (range: 58-69), a decrease of 33 birds from the mean of 97 (range: 92-100) in 2021.
• Breeding adults were observed at Copalis Spit, Conner Creek, Midway Beach, Graveyard Spit, Leadbetter Point, and North Willapa Islands.

Nest Success 

• Forty-four nests were detected and monitored at Conner Creek, Graveyard Spit, and Leadbetter Point
• Nine (20%) of the 44 monitored nests hatched. All nest failures were likely attributed to predation.
• The proportion of nest failures increased in the last four years, with most observed failures attributed to nest predation by avian predators. Without intensive nest searching and monitoring at multiple sites, we do not know if this higher rate of failure represents a shift in predator abundance, an increase in nest predation rates, or some other dynamic driving this change.

Fledging Success

• The average number of chicks fledged per male has not been estimated since 2018.

Management Actions 

• Nesting Sites Protection from Human Activity
  • Approximately 8.0 miles of upper beach and 1,500 feet of hiking trail at Leadbetter Point were signed to prohibit all public access.
  • Vehicle were prohibited north of Oysterville Road during the breeding season (8 miles) and north of the State Park boundary year-round (5.2 miles).
  • Approximately 2.7 miles of publicly owned (Washington State Parks Seashore Conservation Area) beach at Midway Beach were signed to restrict human access to critical nesting areas.
  • Beach access near the Copalis River was closed at Griffiths-Priday State Park.
  • o Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife coordinated most law enforcement activities, especially during clam tides. Washington State Parks and US Fish and Wildlife Service provided additional law enforcement patrols.
  • No WDFW-managed recreational clamming occurred between May 8 and September 27.
• Predator Management
  • No predator management took place in 2022.
  • WDFW analyzed nest and brood survival data to evaluate the effectiveness of predator management, summarized in this report and full report appended to USFWS submittal.
• Habitat Restoration
  • Willapa National Wildlife Refuge: 150 acres were treated with herbicide and 170 acres were disked and bulldozed to treat Ammophila beachgrass.
  • Washington State Parks (Leadbetter Point State Park): 53 acres of Ammophila beachgrass was treated with herbicide.
  • No habitat restoration was conducted with Section 6 funds.
• Outreach
  • Willapa NWR social media posts included information about snowy plovers at Leadbetter Point.
  • Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and Washington State Parks (WSP) produced an informational video about nesting snowy plovers on Washington beaches (See video).
  • WDFW ran radio public service announcements to educate the public about how to minimize disturbance near nesting snowy plovers.