An Overview of the Status and Distribution of Piping Plovers in Virginia

From 1986-2005, Virginia supported between 6% and 13% of the federally threatened Atlantic Coast Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) breeding population with an annual average of 111 nesting pairs (SD ± 25.0, range = 84-192 pairs). The statewide population remained relatively static from 1986-2003 (x = 104.4 pairs, SD ± 12.0, range = 84-127 pairs). In 2004, the population increased to 152 pairs and in the following year grew to 192 pairs. Over 95% of the state’s Piping Plover breeding activity occurred on the barrier islands. From 1986-1997, five pairs or less were observed at Craney Island, a dredge material deposition site in Portsmouth and at Grandview Nature Preserve, a high-use recreation area located in the City of Hampton. Predators and human disturbance likely account for the present-day absence of nesting pairs from both inland sites. From 1990-2002, annual productivity studies revealed an annual average of 1.14 fledged young per pair (SD ± 0.4, range = 0.59-1.65). The 2003 breeding seas...