Piping Plover Atlantic Coast Population Recovery Plan: Appendix K

Recovery Plan: Appendix K

Known Piping Plover Wintering Sites on the Southern Atlantic Coast and the Caribbean

The following list of wintering sites was compiled in order to identify areas along the Atlantic and Florida Gulf Coasts believed essential to piping plover conservation. This list incorporates all presently known wintering sites along the Atlantic and Florida Gulf Coasts, but should be viewed as a preliminary list. The Great Lakes/Great Plains Recovery Plan lists all essential habitat on the Gulf Coast. Wintering habitat, like Atlantic Coast breeding habitat, is dynamic and sites may become more or less suitable through time. Sites that provide good habitat one year may not do so in the future, and sites with poor habitat may develop suitable habitat in the future. In North Carolina, for instance, sites such as Holden Beach/Shallote Inlet and Figure 8 Island/Rich Inlet may have improved through tidal flat development, as plover numbers have increased there in the past several years; however sites such as Shackleford Banks and Bird Shoals have had fewer plovers in recent years and may be deteriorating in habitat quality (i.e., increased vegetation). Thus, prioritization of sites may be difficult because of the dynamic nature of plover habitat. The following list incorporates data from approximately 1983 to 1993 (Haig and Oring 1985, Hoopes et al. 1989, Fussell 1990, Nicholls and Baldassarre 1990a, and Haig and Plissner 1992).

* denotes more than one discrete wintering area per site.

NORTH CAROLINA: Wintering sites along the northern coast from Dare County to Carteret County are primarily within public ownership and receive some degree of protection and management. Wintering sites south of Carteret County are primarily on private or town-owned beaches; human disturbance during the winter may be a problem at some sites.

Currituck/Dare County

Hyde County

Carteret County

New Hanover County

New Hanover/Brunswick Counties

Brunswick County

SOUTH CAROLINA: The most suitable sites in South Carolina are remote and are accessible only by boat. In addition, most sites are either state or federally-owned and are being maintained as wildlife sanctuaries.

Horry County

Georgetown County

Charleston County

Beaufort County

GEORGIA: As in South Carolina, most of the wintering sites in Georgia are relatively inaccessible. Many sites are state or federally owned, and some of the privately-owned sites are restricted to the general public.

Chatham County

Liberty County

McIntosh County

Glynn County

Camden County

FLORIDA ATLANTIC COAST: Some sites are in public ownership, however, there are few management and protection efforts for the piping plover. Human disturbance may be a problem at several sites.

Duval County

St. John's County

Volusia County

Martin County

Dade County

Monroe County

FLORIDA GULF COAST: Similar to Florida Atlantic Coast. Human disturbance and shoreline/inlet manipulations may be a threat.

Collier County

Lee County

Charlotte County

Sarasota County

Manatee County