Piping Plovers Season in Full Swing Sections of Revere Beach Fenced off for Nesting

The nesting areas have been marked off and the Piping Plovers are back on Revere Beach and Winthrop Beach.

According to the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), every year, Piping Plovers, which are protected under both the Federal Endangered Species Act and the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act, migrate to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ coastline, including Revere Beach and Winthrop Beach Reservation, seeking to mate, nest, and feed their young chicks.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), in compliance with the Federal Endangered Species Act and the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act, installs safe zones for Piping Plovers during the shorebirds’ nesting season. The fencing, designed to be minimally invasive to the human eye, is made of grey fiber glass poles, with blue triangular signs, and orange twine.

   At this time, Revere Beach Reservation has eight pairs of Piping Plovers. The birds have been observed performing courting displays, a normal activity this time of year,” said Olivia Dorrance, DCR press secretary.

“Additionally, there are 17 unpaired Piping Plover adults; however, this number of shorebirds is subject to change since they are arriving and leaving our Commonwealth’s coastlines each day and aren’t expected to establish their courtship and nesting territories for another two-six weeks.”

The DCR reminds beachgoers that while the protective fencing is in place along the beach, visitors and residents should observe the Piping Plovers from outside the protective fencing.

Because the number of Piping Plovers is subject to change, DCR is unable to determine the total amount of protected area until the shorebirds have established their nesting territories later this spring.

DCR advises people to resist fence boundary intrusion because this will cause the birds to remain on the Commonwealth’s beaches for a longer period of time.

“Those who are interested in observing and learning more about the shorebirds are encouraged to approach DCR qualified monitors while visiting the beach,” Dorrance said.