Washington State Snowy Plover Population Survey and Leadbetter Point Nesting Season Monitoring Report - 2019

During the 2019 western snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) nesting season, we counted the number of nesting adult snowy plovers at potential breeding sites in Washington and to a limited extent monitored breeding phenology, nest success, and fledging success at Leadbetter Point. Demographic monitoring has been suspended at Midway Beach and funding limitations reduced monitoring efforts at Graveyard Spit. Field monitoring was conducted by William Ritchie, Adam Kotaich, Cyndie Sundstrom, and Larissa Ritzman, with assistance from Anthony Novack, Warren Michaelis, and Richard Ashley. Management activities included restricting human access to nesting sites, predator management, and restoring nesting habitat. The following is a summary of some of our 2019 activities and results:

Breeding Phenology 

• Clutches at Leadbetter Point and Long Beach were initiated between 13 May and 27 June. Some early nests may have gone undiscovered because nest searching did not start until late March. Some late nesting could also have been missed since survey effort was limited after early July.
• Due to staffing limitations, we were unable to determine whether any chicks fledged.

Breeding Range 

• We conducted 24 breeding surveys at 11 sites in two counties between 16 May and 27 June 2019 either to assess site occupancy status or to count the total number of adults.
• Snowy plovers were found nesting at Midway Beach, Graveyard Spit, North Willapa Bay islands, Leadbetter Point, and Long Beach.

Number of Breeding Adults 

• The mean 2019 Washington breeding adult population was 93 (Range: 78-100), an increase of six birds from the previous year. Breeding adults were observed at Ocean Shores, Midway Beach, Graveyard Spit, North Willapa Bay islands, Leadbetter Point, and Long Beach.
• From 2006-2009 the Washington snowy plover population declined annually and precipitously.
• From 2009-2012, the adult breeding population was stable at around 31-36 birds. Since 2013, the population has more than doubled.

Nest success 

• Twenty-nine nests were discovered and monitored at Graveyard Spit, Leadbetter Point, and Long Beach. No monitoring occurred at Midway Beach or on the North Willapa Bay islands.
• Three (18%) of the 17 nests that we monitored hatched while most of the remaining nests were likely lost to predation. At least one nest was abandoned attributable to human disturbance.
• After a steady four-year decline in nest failure due to predation, avian predators have been the primary source of nest failure during the past two years.

Fledging Success 

• Due to staffing limitations, we were unable to determine whether any chicks fledged this season. The average number of chicks fledged per male has been approximately 1.4 over the previous five years.

Management Actions 

• Nest exclosures: No nests were exclosed in 2019.
• Signing: In an effort to protect nests from human activities, approximately 8.0 miles of beach at Leadbetter Point and 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. Physical demarcation using signs and ropes was not installed at Graveyard Spit in 2019 due to funding limitations and access issues.
• Clam tides: 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 actions.
  • Long Beach: During the snowy plover breeding season, two days of razor clam digging occurred during the month of April. Portable toilets were placed on the beach at Leadbetter Point to minimize intrusions into the closed nesting areas. An additional day of recreational clam harvesting occurred in February and 35 days were open in the fall.
  • Midway Beach: Clam digging occurred on 2 days during the plover-breeding season in April compared to 15 days of overlap in 2017.
  • Graveyard Spit: tribal clam harvest was permitted in July.
• Nest Predation: Wildlife specialists with USDA APHIS Wildlife Services on both Leadbetter Point and Midway Beach conducted predator management in 2019. Management actions began the first week of April and continued until the end of June. Predator management consisted of dispersing birds or performing targeted lethal removal of known nest and chick predators (corvids) in or adjacent to the plover nesting areas. Results typically suggest that this activity is successful in increasing nest hatching rates and fledging rates.
• Habitat Restoration:
  • Seven acres of beachgrass was cleared at Leadbetter Point on the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge.
  • An additional 80 acres previously cleared was also disked to reduce resprouting beachgrass on the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge and on State Park land.
• Outreach:
  • Willapa NWR social media posts included information about snowy plover activities at Leadbetter Point.
  • A 60-second public service radio announcement produced by WDFW to promote plover conservation was aired on local radio stations during Earth Day weekend (April 20-21) which coincided with recreational clam digging.
  • A local public radio program produced by The Friends of Willapa NWR, Willapa Nature Notes, airs a feature story on snowy plover each spring to correspond to habitat restoration and the upcoming nesting season.
  • The Friends of Willapa NWR conducted a shorebird ambassador program focused on direct public information exchange targeted for scheduled events on Long Beach area beaches.
  • Wings over Willapa birding festival, held annually in late September, included two guided trips to Leadbetter Point to showcase snowy plover conservation efforts.