New Hatches, Familiar Places – Shorebird Season Summary 2026

The lead story this shorebird season was two additional contracts for the protection of the endangered Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus).  At Barney’s Joy, we returned to our coastal field studies classroom, and the intricate “Allens Pond Complex” ecosystem, home to a diverse assemblage of bird life.  At Westport Town Beach (aka Cherry & Webb), we returned to the former location of the now extirpated Northeastern Beach Tiger Beetle which we surveyed concurrent with plover work, while also reconnecting with the Westport River system and Cherry and Webb Conservation area. Monitoring the entire stretch of beach from Horseneck to the Westport River also streamlines data collection during the nesting season.  

In 2026 we managed 29 pairs between 10 sites, with nesting distributed between Barney’s Joy (6), Cherry and Webb (5), Bakers Beach and vicinity (2), Nonquitt (4), Salters (3), Padanaram Harbor (1) Westport River (Elephant Rock/Richmond Pond (1), West island Town Beach (5) and Winsegansett Heights (2).

Recent dredging operations impacted both of these sites. The Allens Pond channel was dredged in October, a practice periodically done to maintain a flowing channel into the estuary. The close proximity of the channel to Barney’s meant most nesting occurred on the Little Beach side, the Barney’s spit too unstable and frequently overwashed to support nesting.  All nests were placed on barrier beach or foredune habitat and concentrated toward Barney’s Joy point. At Westport Town Beach, a wide sandy berm prone to erosion, extended uninterrupted from Bakers Beach to the Westport River, with offshore dredging in recent years causing considerable sand buildup that may also have been enhanced by the winter blizzard. There were eight nests from seven pairs between private and town portions of the barrier beach, this new habitat likely causing the Bakers Beach pair to relocate from the parking lot for the second consecutive season.

Other subtle habitat changes, while not impacting abundance significantly, affected nest distribution and habitat use on some other sites. Dense vegetation may have driven a pair to depart Elephant Rock and nest in the parking lot of neighboring Richmond Pond, where beach erosion has occurred. Erosion impacting the beach below Salters Pond has resulted in a higher nest density near the pond channel, and less nesting below the pond’s barrier beach where sand is sparse.  At south Nonquitt, both erosion and habitat improvement near the channel likely enticed a pair to nest there, while sand buildup in other locations allowed for nesting uncharacteristically close to the intertidal zone and fence edge.

While one such nest was overwashed, and one successfully hatched, the chicks were ultimately predated. However, at pier beach of Salters and South Beach Nonquitt, two hatchlings each made it to the fledge stage, for sites withstanding predation of both egg and chicks this year. This shows the continued success at pier beach while predators focus in on Salters Pond, and the resilience of the pairs at south beach Nonquitt, where a pair produced young and fledges on the 3rd nest attempt. This nest hatched on the Nonquitt side closer to the boat ramp, continuing the trend of better success closer to human use where predators are less prevalent. The pair at North Nonquitt which has had success in recent years nested twice, but eggs were predated, with coyote the suspected culprit.  

For our additional sites, hatch success was superb with only one nest (and sadly one adult plover) predated between them. Productivity was moderate for Barney’s Joy, where seven chicks fledged, while the predation rate of Cherry and Webb hatchlings was very high, with only three chicks fledging between five pairs. Predation rates are currently high throughout the Westport Barrier Beach Complex as shown by total hatchling losses also at our adjacent private section, so hatchling mortality from any of a number of predators is currently an ongoing challenge.  Research Intern, Trystyn Dockendorff, made a Ghost Crab interpretive sign to highlight the growing ghost crab population on Westport Town Beach as a potential predator. Tristyn’s first ever plover nest in the Cherry and Webb dunes survived to hatch, and the young made it to the beach from a challenging location near the beach entrance and lifeguard area.

West Island in Fairhaven had another stellar year with a new record for fledges (14) for the Town Beach, made possible by the extensive low dune habitat which provides cover for chicks. Unlike last season when all pairs produced young on renests, all nests hatched on the initial attempt. A pair returned to the small spit near the town lot and was the only pair that suffered nest predation, losing three of four eggs to coyote, but the one egg ultimately hatched.

While our hopes were dashed for yet another fledge when this chick was also predated, we had a lone egg from a Least Tern (Sterna antillarum) pair that also hatched, as if to replace the plover chick that had fallen. The chick fledging is the first Least Tern fledge on record for West Island Town Beach. Least Terns are endangered as a “state-listed” species, and are protected by Massachusetts Endangered Species laws. While generally a colonial species, small numbers of pairs have nested in recent years.

As the nesting season draws to a close, we maintain a presence on beaches with activity into August, conducting surveys and educating the public at a time when diversity, abundance, and visibility of shorebirds increases.  As we remove most fencing, but leave limited amounts in select locations where migrants may roost but flocks also appear outside the refuges, we ask for continued vigilance in giving birds space, making best efforts not to approach flocks closely, or allow dogs to chase birds.

As always, we thank the public for their ongoing cooperation, and for interest in the important cutting-edge work protecting a high-profile endangered species. See you next season!