Welcome back to Wildlife Wednesday from your Ohio Division of Wildlife! If you haven’t heard, Ohio is now home to a nest of birds we haven’t seen nest here in at least 80 years – the Piping Plover.
The federally and state endangered birds have constructed a nest at Maumee Bay State Park‘s inland lake beach. While the birds work on raising the next generation of piping plovers, a portion of the beach will remain closed to protect this federally endangered bird. Visitors are reminded to give the birds plenty of space. It is illegal to harass or harm the birds, eggs, or nest of a migratory bird.
The piping plover is a migratory bird that is native to Ohio. It is a small, stocky shorebird with sand-colored feathers and orange legs. The Great Lakes population of this species was listed as federally endangered in 1986. This listing means the species is in danger of going extinct without further protection.
Piping plovers use open, sandy beaches for nesting. Much of this habitat has been lost to development. Plovers are particularly sensitive to human presence. Too much disturbance causes the parents to abandon the nest.
For more info on this exciting development, head to https://ohiodnr.gov/…/Federally-Endangered-Piping-Plover.
