Fourteen snowy plover nests found on Sanibel
SCCF coordinates the monitoring of snowy plover nesting on Sanibel. As of June 10, there have been 14 nests discovered this season. There are still four fledglings who hatched earlier this season who are still on the island and there are 10 hatched chicks.
Snowy plovers nest on the beach. SCCF stakes protective exclosures around snowy plover as well as least tern nests. Please do not enter the staked exclosures and keep dogs out, as well. When snowy plovers are not moving, they are extremely well camouflaged. If a snowy plover is flushed from its nest, it takes very little time for the hot sun to damage the eggs.
The snowy plover is a state-listed, threatened species on Sanibel. The most recent estimate indicates that around 200 pairs of snowy plovers remain along the west coast of Florida, from the Panhandle through Cape Sable. Snowy plover nesting season runs through August, and they can nest two or three times in one season.
For more information, visit SCCF’s Web site at http://sccf.org/content/80/Snowy-Plover-Project.aspx.
Source: SCCF