Core Banks marks areas off limits for nesting season

CORE BANKS - Nests for the threatened piping plover will soon appear along Core Banks, and Cape Lookout National Seashore has begun its efforts to protect it and other birds that seek out the sandy flats of the park's barrier islands.

The nesting season for piping plovers and other beach-nesting birds opened April 1 and extends to Aug. 31.

"It is that time of year for us to see historical nesting areas. Piping plovers are the main ones but there are also terns and black skimmers," said park Chief of Resource Management Michael Rikard.

In anticipation of the nests that will soon begin appearing, park staff has posted signs identifying nine areas along Core Banks that have historically been nesting areas for the birds. The sites include: Portsmouth Flats, High Hills, Kathryn-Jane Flats, Old Drum Inlet area, New Drum Inlet area, old Ophelia Island, the north tip of South Core Banks, Cape Point and Power Squadron Spit.

"These are areas where they nested last year, and we expect them to nest again this year," Rikard said.

In general, at these posted sites, the upper beach and interior are off limits to pedestrians, pets and vehicles while the lower beach and shoreline are open.

"It's above the high tide mark that is closed. The beach is still open," Rikard said.

As the nesting season progresses, other closures may be posted as needed. No sites are currently located on Shackleford Banks.

Cape Lookout National Seashore, which sits at the southern end of the piping plover's nesting range, offers an ideal nesting habitat for the bird. Low dunes and sandy flats provide ground nesting habitat and the adjacent wet sand provides foraging for the birds.

About three-fourths of the nesting piping plovers in North Carolina are found at Cape Lookout National Seashore and the numbers have been growing.

"We were down to 13 pairs four or five years ago and we had 46 piping plover nests last year," Rikard said.

Of the 46 nests, nearly half were located in the area around New Drum Inlet.

Rikard said the bird nests begin to appear within several weeks after the expected nesting sites are posted, and from late May to late July the park is expected to establish a temporary vehicle closure on the ocean beach at the north tip of South Core Banks to protect bird chicks.

After the nests hatch, piping plover chicks can travel more than a quarter of a mile from nesting areas seeking areas to feed. Chicks moving to the ocean beach are in danger of being run over by off-road vehicles and they have difficulty moving through deep ruts in the sand that are created by vehicle tracks.

The vehicle closure, which help protect the threatened piping plover and other ground nesting birds, will only remain in place during the period before the chicks can fly.

Visitors to the seashore are asked to respect the posted bird nesting areas and to keep pets on a leash at all times at the park.

Staff writer Jannette Pippin can be reached at jpippin@freedomenc.com or 910-382-2557.