. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. From Sound To Sea A Small Bird With Big Problems. Natural Wonders of the Coast When the tiny piping plover makes a home on the beach, everything and everyone else has to leave. This plover is listed as a threatened species in North Carolina by the Fish and Wildlife Service. In other states, it's endan- gered. When a handful of them were spotted feeding on the beaches near Frisco and Cape Hatteras in July, National Park Service officials immediately closed two short sections of beach. This shorebird de
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. From Sound To Sea A Small Bird With Big Problems. Natural Wonders of the Coast When the tiny piping plover makes a home on the beach, everything and everyone else has to leave. This plover is listed as a threatened species in North Carolina by the Fish and Wildlife Service. In other states, it's endan- gered. When a handful of them were spotted feeding on the beaches near Frisco and Cape Hatteras in July, National Park Service officials immediately closed two short sections of beach. This shorebird deserves special attention because its numbers are limited, says James Parnell, an ornithologist at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Only about 800 pairs have been sighted nationwide in recent counts. "These little birds feed in the intertidal zone at the beach and often nest at the base of dunes and on overwashed flats," Parnell says. "They're beach ; And that's their primary problem. As residents of the immedi- ate beach areas, they are more prone than other species to be affected by human activity. Simply put, their reduction in numbers can be traced directly to loss of habitat through development and beaches crowded with sunbathers and fishermen. "That's why there's been a great effort to protect them," Parnell says. A major part of that effort has been beach closings, such as the one in July at Cape Hatteras. "Each year we close areas to all human activity, including vehicular and pedestrian," says Reis Collier, a biologist at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. "We put up symbolic fencing — a post with rope and signs — and hope people respect ; Unfortunately, though human response has been good, the tiny birds "don't always read signs and notice where the posts are," Collier says. "So we have to do daily patrolling and changing of ; These efforts have been successful. A
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