EBO proudly monitors Pennsylvania’s only nesting pair/s of federally-endangered Piping Plovers!
Piping Plover by Laura-Marie Koitsch
A multi-agency team has been working since 2012 to improve habitat specifically at Gull Point, removing invasive plant species and making the Great Lakes palustrine sand plane more beneficial to foraging migrant and potential nesting birds.
Piping Plover chick by Mary Birdsong
As a result of habitat work and an overall increase in the population, the federally-endangered Piping Plover successfully nested at Gull Point in 2017 after a dearth of more than 60 years! These small birds were regular nesters at Gull Point through the 1950s. When they were listed as endangered in 1986, the Great Lakes population of Piping Plovers consisted of approximately 17 pairs. In 2023, 80 pairs were recorded, a new record. Pair numbers fluctuate due to habitat and weather conditions, though. As of 2023, Gull Point has contributed 37 fledged chicks to the Great Lakes population.
Meet The Plovers!
Erie Bird Observatory is proud to be collaborating with local, state, and federal partners here in northwestern Pennsylvania that are dedicated to shorebird conservation efforts through projects to restore, rehabilitate, and re-establish critical nesting and stopover sites.
