Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) in Westport, MA
Whether for good or for evil, whether to cheers or to jeers, piping plovers have returned to our Southeast Massachusetts shores. We spotted a pair of piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) in adult breeding plumage in Westport this Sunday afternoon.
Piping Plover Foraging in Ebbing Channel near Allens Pond
The pair foraged the flats and channels between Allens Pond and Buzzards Bay as the tide receded.Â
Piping Plover Scurries Across Buzzards Bay BeachÂ
This isolated stretch of beach is not easily accessible and should provide a quiet area for breeding. We did, however, detect numerous predator tracks scouring the beach between water and wrack line in focused search for prey. Predator digs dotted the sandy upland wedged between bay and salt water pond.
Area Closure Sign Found in Storm Wrack
Right behind the beach where the plover pair foraged, we found a half dozen “AREA CLOSED” signs that had washed up into the storm wrack line. Presumably these plovers had returned to the precise closure area where they had previously nested, or stranger still, perhaps they can read!