Great Lakes Piping Plover habitat characteristics, reproductive success, and habitat availability.

Abstract

This study found Great Lakes Piping Plovers nesting primarily on wide, sparsely vegetated, sand and cobble beaches. The occupied beaches often included an ephemeral wetland or pond and were separated from the treeline by a wide series of dunes and unforested land. There was a higher percentage of rock cover at the nest than in the surrounding nest area (p<.000), and the distance from the water line to treeline was significantly greater at the nest than in the surrounding territory (p=.008) and surrounding beach (p=0.25). Reproductive success was positively correlated to the percentage of rock cover in the nesting territory (p=.021) and percentage of rock cover on the beach (p=.032), and negatively correlated to the percentage of beach transects with evidence of dogs was (p=.048). In Emmet, Charlevoix, and Cheboygan county 6.72 miles or approximately 6% of the Michigan mainland shoreline met the minimum physical nesting requirements for Piping Plovers. However, the estimate of 6% of apparently suitable nesting habitat may be further reduced when the levels of recreational use at the identified sites are considered. These results indicate that nesting habitat availability may be a factor limiting the population, and that it is imperative to identify and protect Great Lakes Piping Plover habitat.