CONCORD — The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department has reported that there are endangered birds on beaches in Hampton and Seabrook.
Five pairs of piping plovers are nesting along the sandy shores of Hampton and Seabrook. Piping plovers are endangered in New Hampshire and threatened nationally.
Their breeding habitat is fenced with yellow roping to indicate the birds’ presence to beachgoers.
“Our goal is to protect these rare birds during their breeding season and manage the beaches for both people and wildlife,” said Brendan Clifford a biologist with the Fish and Game’s Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program who oversees the piping plover protection effort.
“The sooner the birds nest, the sooner the chicks will hatch and grow big enough to be able to fly. Once the chicks are about 30 days old, they can fly and escape from danger and we can take down the fences that protect their breeding habitat and open up the whole beach for recreational use,” explained Clifford.
The first few weeks after hatching are the most crucial, because the chicks are very small and hard to see and extremely vulnerable to natural predators such as gulls, crows, foxes and domestic animals, including cats and dogs.
Another threat is humans. “We have had occasional incidences where people have deliberately vandalized fencing meant to protect the birds and even stolen eggs right out of the nest,” Clifford said. “We are continuing to educate people in hopes of minimizing instances of human disturbance.”
While the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department cannot monitor the birds 24 hours a day, they do rely on a number of volunteers to keep watch over the birds and activities taking place on the beaches.
Since protection efforts began in 1997 through 2013, 83 nesting pairs of plovers have fledged 113 chicks on New Hampshire’s seacoast. New Hampshire’s efforts are part of a regionwide protection program. Overall, the Atlantic coast population of piping plovers continues to hold steady.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department advises beachgoers to do three main things:
■Watch where you step.
■Leash your dog.
■Fill in holes.
The birds are about the size of cotton balls and can easily be stepped on by humans or animals and easily trapped by holes in the sand.
Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Piping Plover Monitor at 603-419-9728.