Thesis (M.S.)--South Dakota State University, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-51).

The Manitoba Piping Plover Stewardship Project was initiated in 2002 to determine the status of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) in Manitoba and to develop a provincial management strategy that outlined provincial management goals and necessary stewardship actions. In 2002 and 2003, intensive surveys of historical and potential sites across Manitoba were conducted and measures taken to protect eggs and chicks from predation and human disturbance. With the use of fencing, signs, predator exclosures and guardian volunteers, predation and recreational disturbance were minimized sufficiently at most sites to allow for increased nest success and fledging rates. An overall apparent nest success rate of 62% and an apparent fledge rate of 1.16 fledglings/pair was achieved during this study. The study concluded that Piping Plover nest success and productivity at the majority of historical nesting sites in Manitoba is being limited by habitat availability, medium to high predation rates and recreational pressures. / October 2006

The Manitoba Piping Plover Stewardship Project was initiated in 2002 to determine the status of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) in Manitoba and to develop a provincial management strategy that outlined provincial management goals and necessary stewardship actions. In 2002 and 2003, intensive surveys of historical and potential sites across Manitoba were conducted and measures taken to protect eggs and chicks from predation and human disturbance. With the use of fencing, signs, predator exclosures and guardian volunteers, predation and recreational disturbance were minimized sufficiently at most sites to allow for increased nest success and fledging rates. An overall apparent nest success rate of 62% and an apparent fledge rate of 1.16 fledglings/pair was achieved during this study. The study concluded that Piping Plover nest success and productivity at the majority of historical nesting sites in Manitoba is being limited by habitat availability, medium to high predation rates and recreational pressures.

The Manitoba Piping Plover Stewardship Project was initiated in 2002 to determine the status of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) in Manitoba and to develop a provincial management strategy that outlined provincial management goals and necessary stewardship actions. In 2002 and 2003, intensive surveys of historical and potential sites across Manitoba were conducted and measures taken to protect eggs and chicks from predation and human disturbance. With the use of fencing, signs, predator exclosures and guardian volunteers, predation and recreational disturbance were minimized sufficiently at most sites to allow for increased nest success and fledging rates. An overall apparent nest success rate of 62% and an apparent fledge rate of 1.16 fledglings/pair was achieved during this study. The study concluded that Piping Plover nest success and productivity at the majority of historical nesting sites in Manitoba is being limited by habitat availability, medium to high predation rates and recreational pressures.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1992. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-131). Also available via the Internet.

The Great Plains piping plover (Charadrius melodus) population was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1986. The challenge for managers of this population is to increase the fledging rate and to ensure that there is sufficient habitat to support an increasing population. According to the revised recovery plan, there are insufficient quantitative data that relate habitat characteristics to reproductive success in riverine habitat. In particular, additional data are needed to determine if piping plover reproduction is limited by food abundance at breeding sites. The goal of this research was to determine whether piping plover chick survival was limited by foraging site quality on the Missouri River. Productivity has historically varied among river reaches. The alkali wetlands, reported to be very productive, serve as an index to the upper limit of reproductive potential. We compared indices of foraging site quality, chick growth and survival among a reservoir, two river reaches and alkali wetland sites from 2001-2003. We compared piping plover use of protected shoreline and exposed shoreline to availability along two reaches of the Missouri River (Gavins and Garrison). We also examined piping plover chick diet. Chick weight gains were higher at alkali wetlands than Gavins and Garrison. Invertebrate numbers were higher at the alkali wetlands than the three river sites and lowest downstream of the cold water release dam. Invertebrate biomass was highest at the alkali wetlands and downstream of the warm water release dam and lowest downstream of the cold water release dam. Invertebrate biomass downstream of the cold water release dam was the lowest of all 4 sites. There was no relationship between chick daily survival rates and invertebrate biomass or predator presence. Although Diptera occurred more frequently (23% - 64%) at all sites (sticky traps), Coleoptera occurred most frequently in the fecal samples (fecal analysis; 69% to 89%). On the Missouri River, protected shorelines were important foraging sites for piping plovers during the breeding season. We also found that sandbars with low-lying moist habitat are important to foraging chicks. Results are consistent with the prediction that foraging conditions downriver from cold water release dams are inferior to conditions in other habitats in the region. Differences in prey availability are reflected in chick growth rates, but not in survival rates. These results underscore the variability in different indices of habitat quality (invertebrate indices, predation, growth rates, survival rates) among the four sites, and the need for monitoring and management strategies that address each site individually. When managing or creating sandbars, ensuring the availability of protected shoreline will benefit piping plovers on the Missouri River. / Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed Feb. 17, 2009). PDF text: x, 145 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 2 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3331439. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Predators are a threat to many ground-nesting shorebirds, although it remains largely unknown how they interact with passive predator management techniques such as nest exclosures. I examined the effects of nest exclosures on incubating Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus melodus) and their predators on nesting beaches in Kouchibouguac and PEI National Parks. A combination of behavioural observations, video monitoring of nests and an artificial nest experiment was used to examine the effects of nest exclosures in this study system. The behaviour of Piping Plovers did not differ between exclosed and unexclosed nests, although different types of predators seemed to have an effect on plover nest attentiveness. Predators visited exclosed nests more often than unexclosed nests and spent more time in the vicinity of exclosed nests than unexclosed nests. Since increased adult mortality and nest abandonment have been documented at exclosed Piping Plover nests, as well as nests of other shorebirds, the results of this study provide evidence of a link between predator harassment and these negative effects.

Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) have been identified as a key predator of the threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus) along the U.S. Atlantic coast. However, little is known about coastal red fox ecology, making it difficult to create effective red fox management strategies in these settings. Here, we quantify aspects of red fox population, spatial, and dietary ecology and interactions with threatened piping plovers on Fire Island, New York. We conducted remote camera surveys, scat and sign surveys, den monitoring, and GPS tracking of red foxes on the island in 2015–2018. We used these data to estimate red fox occupancy, reproduction, survival, and population density. We used GPS data to investigate red fox space use, habitat selection, and responses to piping plover nest exclosure setup, pre-hatch pipping, and hatching. We used fecal dietary analyses and data from den prey item surveys to quantify the frequency of piping plover predation and to identify major prey items of red foxes on the island. Red fox occupancy remained high even after substantial decreases in abundance, population density, annual reproduction, and seasonal survival following 2 sarcoptic mange outbreaks. Within their home ranges, red foxes selected areas that were closer to vegetation during the daytime and twilight hours, but farther from vegetation at night. We did not find clear evidence that red foxes in our study area keyed in on piping plover nest exclosure setup, pipping, or hatching at the spatial scales considered in our comparisons, although fox penetration of and digging at exclosures was an issue in 2015 at Smith Point County Park. Items from Orders Rodentia (rodents, 43% of scats), Coleoptera (beetles, 38%), and Decapoda (crabs and other crustaceans, 29%) were most frequently found in 293 red fox scats examined. Skates (Family Rajidae, 89% of dens with food items) and Atlantic surf clams (Spisula solidissima, 67%) were found most frequently outside of dens. We did not find any identifiable piping plover remains in red fox scats or outside of dens. Our results suggest that direct interactions between red foxes and piping plovers during our study period and in our study area were less frequent than expected, but concurrent work by collaborators documented that the trap success of red foxes was negatively related to piping plover reproductive output during our study period. Lethal removal of red foxes is unlikely to eliminate them from shorebird nesting areas unless complete eradication of foxes from the island can be achieved. We recommend strategic vegetation management in and around piping plover nesting areas to reduce daytime resting areas and hunting cover for red foxes, and continued use of nest exclosures. We also recommend further investigation into indirect impacts of red foxes on piping plover populations, and into the possibility that anthropogenic food resources could be subsidizing the island's red fox population. / Doctor of Philosophy / Red foxes have been identified as a key predator of the piping plover, a small migratory shorebird that breeds along the U.S. Atlantic coast and is considered 'threatened' (at risk of becoming endangered and eventually disappearing) within the United States. The lack of information about red fox ecology in coastal settings has been a challenge for wildlife biologists tasked with reducing predation on piping plovers. We investigated red fox ecology, behavior, and interactions with piping plovers on Fire Island, New York. We used trail cameras, collected scat (feces), monitored dens, and tracked red foxes on the island with global positioning system (GPS) collars in 2015–2018. We used these data to estimate red fox distribution, litter sizes, survival rates, and population sizes. We used GPS data to estimate red fox territory sizes, describe habitat selection, and investigate responses to piping plover nest exclosure setup, pipping (a period before hatching during which chicks vocalize inside the eggs), and hatching. We dissected red fox scats and recorded prey items found outside of dens to determine what red foxes on the island were eating. The proportion of each study area used by red foxes remained high even after substantial decreases in abundance, population density, annual reproduction, and seasonal survival following 2 parasitic disease (sarcoptic mange) outbreaks. Within their territories, red foxes selected areas that were closer to vegetation during the daytime and twilight hours but farther from vegetation at night. We did not find clear evidence that red foxes in our study area keyed in on piping plover nest exclosure setup, pipping, or hatching, although fox penetration of and digging at exclosures was an issue in some years at a site not included in those comparisons. Rodents, beetles, and crustacean remains were found most frequently in red fox scats. Skates and surf clams were found most frequently outside of dens. We did not find any identifiable piping plover remains in red fox scats or outside of dens. Our results suggest that that direct interactions between red foxes and piping plovers may be less frequent than previously believed, but concurrent work by collaborators documented that the trap success of red foxes was negatively related to piping plover reproductive output during our study period. Lethal removal of red foxes is unlikely to eliminate red foxes from shorebird nesting areas unless all foxes on the island are removed. We recommend strategic vegetation removal in and around piping plover nesting areas to reduce daytime resting spots and hunting cover for red foxes, and continued use of nest exclosures. We also recommend further investigation into indirect impacts of red foxes on piping plover populations, and into the possibility that anthropogenic food resources could be subsidizing the island's red fox population.

Prairie rivers of the Great Plains, USA, provide important habitat for the federally threatened piping plover (“plover”, Charadrius melodus). Plovers nest on open to sparsely vegetated river sandbars, and their demographic rates are closely linked to habitat availability and quality, as well as river flow. The Niobrara River in northern Nebraska has supported 22–41% of the state’s plovers since species listing in 1986, but the population and habitat are relatively understudied, and both have declined since 2010. The objectives of this study were to understand plover demography, habitat, and the role of the Niobrara in the regional plover population. Periods of high river flow promote creation and maintenance of suitable sandbar nesting habitat, but increased river flow during the plover breeding season can decrease nest and chick survival. We estimated the effect of daily peak river flow on survival rates of 115 nests and 66 chicks on the Niobrara River, 2010–2016, using logistic exposure and Cormack-Jolly-Seber models, respectively. We monitored 1,874 banded hatch-year and adult birds across the regional population (Niobrara River, Lewis and Clark Lake, Gavins Point Reach segment of the Missouri River), and used multi-state mark-recapture models to estimate survival and inter-annual dispersal probabilities among sites relative to habitat availability. We developed land cover datasets from high-resolution aerial imagery to quantify suitable habitat and compare the relative effects of habitat characteristics on nest-site selection and nest success for a subset of years (2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016) using logistic regression models. We included data from a sympatric nester with similar nesting habitat needs, the interior least tern (“tern”, Sternula antillarum athalassos), to improve precision of our models. We compared 63 plover and 92 tern nests to 292 random unused points, and 73 successful (hatched ≥1 egg) to 79 failed nests. Low nest and chick survival and high emigration from the Niobrara appear to be important factors contributing to population decline. Daily nest and chick survival were negatively related to river flow. Nest-site selection was based primarily on distance to the river bank (i.e., the nearest potential source of predators), yet flooding (eggs submerged or washed out of the nest bowl during increased river flow) caused at least as many nest failures as predation. Nests predominantly were surrounded by dry sand habitat, indicating some degree of flood avoidance, but were no farther from water than random, and drier nest sites were no less likely to fail. Dispersal occurred throughout the regional population, but plovers were more likely to leave the Niobrara than to enter it. Expansive flood-created sandbars on the Missouri River, concurrent with a trend towards more vegetated and saturated habitat on the Niobrara, may have drawn birds from the Niobrara population, especially those that dispersed to the Niobrara during sustained Missouri River flooding 2010–2011. The outsized negative effect of flooding on nest success, the lack of protection afforded by dry sand nest sites, and selection for nesting habitat based more strongly on predator avoidance than flood avoidance suggest that plovers may have face more frequent and intense levels of breeding season flooding than is typical. Identifying and promoting the processes that contribute to creation and maintenance of high-elevation sandbars on the Niobrara is an important next step towards effective management of nesting birds. / Master of Science / Prairie rivers of the Great Plains, USA, provide important habitat for a federally threatened shorebird, the piping plover (“plover”, Charadrius melodus). During their breeding season (April–August), plovers nest and raise chicks on open to sparsely vegetated areas of river sandbars, and their survival and reproductive success are closely tied to amount and quality of sandbar habitat. The number of plovers on the Niobrara River in northeast Nebraska has declined since 2010, and in this study our objectives were to monitor nests, chicks, and adult birds to document plover survival, movement among neighboring sites, reproductive success, and habitat changes on the Niobrara from 2010–2016. Because plovers nest on the sand, they can lose nests and chicks when river flow increases and washes over sandbars (“flooding”). We found that nest and chick survival sharply decreased when river flow was high. Plovers chose nest sites in dry sand areas, which are typically the tallest part of a sandbar and most protected from flooding, but these nests were no more likely to hatch than those in areas with wetter (lower elevation) sand. Plovers primarily chose nest sites far from the river bank, which was the nearest potential source of predators, yet flooding caused at least as many nest failures as predation. Plovers moved between the Niobrara and nearby Missouri River, but overall were much more likely to leave the Niobrara than to enter it. Expansive sandbar creation on the Missouri River, concurrent with a trend towards lower-quality (more vegetated and saturated) habitat on the Niobrara, may have drawn birds from the Niobrara population, especially those displaced from the Missouri during sustained flooding 2010–2011. Movement to the Missouri River and low nest and chick survival due to flooding contributed to population decline on the Niobrara. The outsized effect of flooding on nest success, the lack of protection afforded by dry sand nest sites, and selection for nesting habitat based more strongly on predator avoidance than flood avoidance suggests that plovers face more frequent and intense levels of breeding season flooding than is typical. Identifying and promoting the processes that contribute to creation and maintenance of high-elevation sandbars on the Niobrara is an important next step towards effective management of nesting birds.