Bird lovers may see a lot less of the Piping Plover on beaches in Rhode Island and around New England this summer. The little black-and-white shorebirds’ winter habitat in the Bahamas was hit hard by Hurricane Matthew last year, and that may have taken a heavy toll on the birds.
Piping Plovers were already considered threatened in Connecticut — they’ve been hurt by shoreline development and careless beachgoers. But their winter vacation spot in the Bahamas has no human development, just thousands of other piping plovers from all over North America.
“Hurricane Matthew went over some of the most important wintering habitat at a really vulnerable time for the birds, just as they were arriving,” said Patrick Comins with the National Audubon Society’s Connecticut Chapter.
Nobody’s sure yet how many plovers died when Matthew’s 15-foot-high waves hit the beaches of the Bahamas. Audubon says about two-thirds of the birds were missing after the hurricane. There’s a possibility the storm just wrecked the beaches, and the plovers made it out and flew off to find another beach somewhere.
“Right now, it isn’t looking good,” said Comis. “Considering how powerful that storm was and where it went, it does seem likely the birds themselves would have been impacted, not just the habitats.”
The survivors should make it home to the Northeast by March. Comins said Audubon and other bird groups will keep an eye on them to see how many make it back, and what can be done to help the Piping Plovers recover.
