Shorebird Monitoring

Fishers Island is home to some of the most important remaining beach habitat for nesting shorebirds in New York. Quiet shorelines, dune systems, and relatively low disturbance make the island a rare refuge for species that have been pushed out of more developed coastal areas.

Federally endangered piping plovers and New York State listed threatened least terns rely on open sand beaches to nest and raise their young. These birds nest directly on the ground with no shelter, making them especially vulnerable to foot traffic, pets, predators, weather events, and habitat loss. Protecting these species is a critical part of maintaining healthy coastal ecosystems. When piping plovers choose to nest on Fishers Island, it is a strong indicator that our beaches are functioning as healthy ecosystems. Their presence tells us that the habitat conditions they need still exist here, something that is becoming increasingly rare across the region.

The Piping Plover Recovery Plan

The shorebird monitoring work on Fishers Island is guided by a larger, science based conservation effort known as the 1996 U.S. Atlantic Coast Piping Plover Recovery Plan. This plan was created in response to steep population declines caused by coastal development, habitat loss, and increasing human disturbance along beaches.

The goal of the recovery plan is to rebuild a stable, self sustaining population of piping plovers along the Atlantic coast.

The recovery plan sets a long term objective of increasing and maintaining approximately 2,000 breeding pairs of piping plovers along the Atlantic coast.

Rather than relying on a single year of data, the plan emphasizes consistency over time. Success is measured using both population size and nesting success across multiple years.

A key part of the recovery plan is productivity, which is defined as the number of chicks that survive long enough to fledge, meaning they are able to fly.

To be considered stable or recovering, each region must average at least 1.5 fledged chicks per breeding pair over a five year period. This benchmark reflects the minimum number needed to offset natural losses and allow the population to persist over time.

If productivity falls below this level, populations are likely to decline even if adult birds continue to return.

To account for regional differences in habitat, development, and disturbance, the Atlantic Coast population is divided into four recovery units, each with its own population goal.

Atlantic Canada, with a goal of approximately 400 breeding pairs
New England, with a goal of approximately 625 breeding pairs
New York and New Jersey, with a goal of approximately 575 breeding pairs
Southern Atlantic Coast, including Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, with a goal of approximately 400 breeding pairs

Fishers Island falls within the New York and New Jersey recovery unit, a region that faces some of the greatest challenges due to heavily developed and highly used beaches.

Because the New York and New Jersey recovery unit has historically struggled to meet productivity goals, successful nesting sites within this region are especially important.

What happens on Fishers Island is part of a much larger conservation picture!

What We Are Doing

Turning a recovery plan into real progress depends on what happens on individual beaches each spring and summer. On Fishers Island, that work is carried out by Fishers Island Conservancy through consistent monitoring, protection measures, and community outreach.

Since 2024, the Conservancy has partnered officially with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to monitor piping plovers and least terns on the island as part of the Long Island Colonial Waterbird Survey. This partnership provides the statewide framework and standardized protocols, while Fishers Island Conservancy conducts the on-the-ground monitoring across our beaches.

Each season, Conservancy staff track nesting activity throughout the breeding period. We document where birds are nesting, how nests progress, and what factors influence success. This includes recording nest counts, hatch timing, chick survival, predator activity, and human disturbance, along with site conditions that may affect nesting outcomes.