Snowy Plover Chicks Coming Soon to Long Beach Dunes
Yes, this ridiculously cute snowy plover chick is the size of a cotton ball. Photo by Jerry Kirkhart
Snowy plover are back nesting at Leadbetter Point!
There are only two consistently successful nesting sites in all of Washington State: Leadbetter Point State Park at the northern tip of the Long Beach Peninsula and Midway Beach, located between Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. In a 2012 survey, scientists counted only 33 birds in Washington. The Land Trust has helped support these listed birds’ recovery by conserving some Leadbetter area coastal dunes where they nest. If you visit Leadbetter State Park’s beach, keep in mind that people, vehicles, and dogs are restricted to the wet sand area next to the ocean March though September. Please keep out of the dunes! This will help ensure the cotton-ball-size chicks make it to adulthood. —Nadia Gardner