On Friday, our local weatherman warned of heavy rain and winds over the weekend. My first thought was - NO! It’s Wader Quest World Watch Weekend!
Unfortunately, the weather guy was right. A beautiful Friday of blue sky and sunshine rapidly turned into a weekend of downpours and flooding. By Saturday late afternoon, I thought - enough already! By Monday morning, it had become Subtropical Storm Nicole and was heading north.
Based in the U.K., Wader Quest focuses on the preservation of Waders. On this side of the pond, the common term is shorebird. Their initial focus was on the plight of the Spoonbill Sandpiper. Today they include all waders. This weekend of wader-watching is in its ninth year and is a great way to focus on these intrepid migrants.
By some statistics, shorebird populations have declined by 40% since the 1970s. The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network sums up their predicament below:
“Shorebirds are among a few groups of birds showing the most dramatic declines. Species that undertake hemispheric migrations rely on specific habitats and food sources to survive, but these resources are increasingly under threat from human disturbance, habitat loss and degradation, over-harvesting, increasing predation, and climate change.”
I see the struggle of these birds regularly here in Anguilla. For this reason, I support the work of Wader Quest.
Although I didn’t make it to all my usual locations, I counted between the downpours. Over the two days, I recorded 16 wader species. This beautiful Least Sandpiper was setting a perfect Fall scene as it fed among the piles of sargassum along the edge of the beach.
Even though it’s not a wader, it was exciting to spend some time with a juvenile Little Blue Heron. In this white phase, it is often confused with the immature Snowy Egret. The two-tone bill, gray lores, and leg color are a big tell for this species. This particular bird had strikingly green legs instead of the usual dull yellow. If you look closer, you can see the tinge of blue starting to show on the head and neck. I see overwintering adults regularly. Seeing the white phase was a real treat.
I checked Cove Pond for a specific bird that has visited Anguilla since 2020. A single Piping Plover dropped into the area and began keeping company with a group of Snowy Plovers. At the time, I attributed its presence to the quiet of the pandemic. The bird stayed for a few weeks and surprisingly returned in the Fall of 2021.
The two species are very similar. However, the Piping is slightly larger with a shorter stout bill and orange legs. The photograph above clearly illustrates the difference.
There are some instances where the Snowy Plover displays yellowish legs. Checking the bill and relative size can help weed out the imposters.
The Piping Plover is International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Listed in 2022 as a “Near Threatened” species.
What does this mean?
“A taxon is Near Threatened (NT) when it has been evaluated against the criteria but does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable now, but is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.”
The species suffers the same plight that other shorebirds do. However, several organizations have joined together to protect Piping Plovers, resulting in restricted access to their breeding sites by humans. Since their favored nest sites are beaches, conflict often arises.
Banding is a big part of the monitoring process for Piping Plovers. Giving an identity to individual birds has led some communities to rally around these tiny plovers. Tales of mating pairs like Monty and Rose and their offspring are often legendary. The loss of adults and chicks breaks the hearts of those who follow them.
They say people won’t protect what they don’t love. For all the controversy over banding, perhaps giving birds identity through this process is another way to make people fall in love and protect them.
Thus far, our little plover has not returned with any bands making it impossible to tell where it nests during the breeding season. (I should also say that without any band identification, I don’t know if the same bird visited each time. I assume that different birds would not randomly come to the exact location each year.)
This year was no exception. I found my little friend in the usual spot amid a rain and wind storm. It was in the company of the Snowy Plovers seeking cover, so I didn’t stay long.
Considered a rare visitor to Anguilla, I have only recorded two other birds over the years. Both were on Prickly Pear East. These extended visits over the last three years may mean that this is an overwintering site for at least this one bird.
As this site returns to regular traffic patterns post-pandemic, these tiny plovers are at risk again. Unleashed dogs, horseback riders, beach walkers, and feral cats threaten their survival. Let’s hope humans choose to respect their space.
While all of our waders are beautiful, this Piping Plover was the star of the weekend count. I look forward to monitoring it over the coming months as it prepares for its Spring migration.
I will continue to support Wader Quest and its mission to “raise awareness of the challenges that waders face in our modern world.” Click on the link to learn more about Wader Quest.