Coastal Nesting Areas

There are eight main nesting areas for the western snowy plover on the Oregon Coast.

Five nesting areas occur on federal lands managed by the USDA Forest Service. These sites are located at Baker Beach/Sutton Beach, Siltcoos Estuary, Oregon Dunes Overlook, Tahkenitch Estuary, and Tenmile Estuary.

Another nesting area is located on the Coos Bay North Spit and is managed cooperatively by the Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Army Corps of Engineers.

One nesting area is at New River Spit which is comprised of federal, county and private lands and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department manages one nesting area at Bandon State Natural Area.

Size of the Coastal Population

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has coordinated a breeding window survey of the Oregon coastal population each June from 1978 to 2001. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has coordinated the survey since 2002. Breeding window surveys estimate the number of birds seen, during a one week census, in May. The Oregon Biodiversity Information Center (formerly Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center) has monitored breeding and non-breeding snowy plovers on the Oregon coast since 1990 with funding provided by state and federal agencies.

Breeding Season Population Estimates

In 2010, Oregon Biodiversity Information Center biologists observed 236 adult snowy plovers; a minimum of 175 individuals was known to have nested. The adult plover population was the highest estimate recorded since monitoring began in 1990.
Comparison of population estimates of adult western snowy plovers on the Oregon coast during the breeding season, from 1993 to 2010, is based on three different measures of abundance (Lauten et al. 2010).

Number of Nests and Fledglings

In addition to monitoring the population, Oregon Biodiversity Information Center biologists also find nests and return when they hatch to band the chicks. Each nest typically has three eggs and female adult plover can renest up to three times during the breeding season. In 2010, biologists observed 261 nests and 80 fledglings. The table below shows the number of nests and fledglings produced on the Oregon coast between 1990 and 2010 (Lauten et al. 2010).