BiodiversityWorks works with private landowners, beach associations, and land trusts to monitor and protect nesting Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus), American oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus), Least terns (Sterna antillarum), Common terns (Sterna hirundo), Roseate terns (Sterna dougallii), and Black skimmers (Rhyncops niger). We collaborate with other conservation organizations on Martha’s Vineyard to ensure that all beaches and small islands with suitable nesting habitat are monitored and protected along the island’s 124 miles of shoreline.

Piping Plovers

Piping plovers are small migratory shorebirds that nest on open, sandy beaches from Newfoundland to North Carolina. The females lay a clutch of four eggs over a period of a week in a simple scrape in the sand. Both the male and the female share incubation duties over 26 days and, like many other shorebird species, the chicks are precocial when they hatch. Covered in downy feathers, chicks leave the nest scrape within hours of hatching and are able to feed themselves. Their parents protect them from predators using distraction displays and brood the chicks to keep them warm and dry or shaded from the hot sun. Piping plovers are perfectly adapted for life on the beach, but habitat loss to development and coastal erosion, displacement by people recreating on the beach, and increased predation on eggs and chicks has led to population declines throughout their range.

Least, Common and Roseate Terns

Least terns and common terns are both listed as a ‘Species of special concern’ in Massachusetts while roseate terns are ‘endangered’ both federally and under Massachusetts law.  Least terns often share habitat with piping plovers while common and roseate terns do so occasionally. Terns are colonial nesters and a colony can consist of a few pairs to a several hundred pairs. These birds are more aggressive and will dive at intruders that get too close to the colony.  Their incubation period is several days shorter than piping plovers, and while their chicks also hatch with a downy covering, the tern parents feed their chicks.  To learn more about each species, Click here to learn more about least terns. Click here to learn more about common terns, and Click here to learn more about roseate terns.

We can’t always predict the location or size of a colony from year to year, so terns require that we be able to respond quickly to colony initiation with protective fencing to keep people and pets away from the birds and their eggs. When possible, we place fencing to keep skunks out of nesting areas. Even one skunk raiding for eggs can cause complete colony failure in only a few days. Avian predators can also cause failures. In 2011, a peregrine falcon caused abandonment of several tern colonies on the island, and in 2015 a couple of tern colonies were raided by crows. Black-crowned night herons and Northern harrier hawks are significant predators  as well.  In some years, these two predators can cause complete failure in terns colonies. These dynamics occur naturally between predators and prey, but lack of nesting sites due to sea level rise and development limits where these colonies can relocate.

American Oystercatchers

American Oystercatchers are conspicuous shorebirds with their long, bright orange bills specialized for opening bivalves.  Much like piping plovers, American oystercatchers nest on sand or gravel beaches, and small islands. Although they are not a listed species, they are very sensitive to human disturbance and benefit from the symbolic fencing that we put in place to protect their nests and chick rearing areas.  Oystercatcher chicks sometimes lie motionless in the wrackline (seaweed) on the beach where they could be stepped on by people or dogs.  It’s important to stay away from posted nesting areas.

We are collaborating with the American Oystercatcher Working Group  to locate new nesting areas, protect nesting pairs,  re-sight banded birds from prior years, and to learn more about the migration habits of these birds.

Click here to learn more about the American Oystercatcher.

If you are interested in volunteering with our beach-nesting bird program, visit our volunteer page for more information.

Black Skimmers

Black Skimmers are colorful and charismatic birds that delight many beach goers who enjoy watching these birds skim for their supper. They are also colonial nesters and often prefer to nest with the more aggressive tern species. This species began nesting in Massachusetts in the 1990’s and they are at the northernmost extent of their breeding range here. For the past several years, Martha’s Vineyard has hosted the only colony in the state and has been growing annually.

We began a collaborative banding project with MassWildlife and The Trustees in 2017 capturing and banding chicks with field readable bands before the fledged. We have banded over 50 chicks thus far and some of our 2017- 2020 chicks returned to nest as adults here on the island. We are excited to be receiving re-sights of our banded black skimmers from Florida every winter. Amelia Island, on the Atlantic coast of Florida, is a popular place for them to spend the winter along with a few other sites on that coast. We have also had a re-sight from Clam Pass on the gulf side of Florida and a re-sight as far south as Mallory Square in Key West!