Jack Wetherall, Woodglen School
Hunterdon County
Piping Plover. Hunterdon County Jack Wetherall
PIPING PLOVER
“Peep-lo!” I’m down here! I know it’s hard to see me; I blend in with the sand very well. I’m a piping plover and I am an endangered species in New Jersey. I am mostly grayish white with some brown and tan feathers and I have a black ring around my neck and across my head, as you can see. Perfect camouflage for the beach! (Except for my bright orange beak & feet.)
I live down at the New Jersey shore, near the dunes most of the time. We like to stay in the sparsely vegetated areas. We migrate in the winter and come back up to New Jersey in the spring. That is when we mate and have our chicks.
Our main predators are cats, dogs, skunks, but human activity near our habitat is dangerous too! To protect our nests I can pretend I have a broken wing to attract attention away from my nest and protect my babies!
We like to eat insects, worms and larvae. If we stomp on the ground really fast with our feet it makes our food come out of the sand! We have to be careful when we are feeding close to the ocean. You will see us running back and forth so we don’t get wet from the waves!
In 1984 we were put on the “endangered species” list and since then our numbers have grown. In July of 2003 we were even made “Species of the Month”! A great honor!
Thanks for listening; it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope you spread the word so we can still be safe.
Written By: Jack Wetherall
Woodglen School, Califon
Teacher: Mr Peralta