An Interview With Snowy Plover Biologist, Jessica González
Thursday, September 16th is International Plover Appreciation Day. To celebrate, we’ve ask Andytown customer and Snowy Plover Biologist, Jesica González, to answer some of our biggest questions about the tiny shorebirds that we name our most popular coffee beverage after. Thank you to Jessica for answering our questions, and for all of the work you do for our favorite little birds!
Jessica is seen here holding a snowy plover. All the photos on today’s blog were taken by Jessica.
ANDYTOWN: First of all, let’s introduce you. Who are you, and what is your title with SFBBO?
JESSICA: I am Jessica González (She/her/ella; Latinx), Born and raised in California, my passion for nature and love of birds blossomed into a career in wanting to support and aid in the conservation of California's unique wildlife. I hold a B.S. degree in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Environmental Restoration and Resource Management from San Jose State University (SJSU) and am currently pursuing a M.S. degree in Environmental Studies at SJSU on Snowy Plovers in the SF Bay. I am a Snowy Plover Biologist and I have worked since 2011 (7 field seasons) with San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO) to aid in the recovery of Snowy plovers in the SF Bay.
A: What made you so interested in Snowy Plovers?
J: Funny story! I actually had no idea snowy plovers existed until I needed to get an internship to graduate for my undergrad in Environmental Studies at San Jose State University. I had a meeting with my advisor, Lynnne Trulio to figure out what internships I could apply for. She was listing all these fantastic opportunities, but none of them were catching my attention. Until, she mentioned this internship with a non-profit in Milpitas that works with a small endangered shorebird found in the SF Bay. She loves to tell the story that as soon as she mentioned that opportunity, my eyes glistened with excitement! I applied and was very honored to be given the chance and opportunity to gain the field experience and to work with such a charismatic bird. After that it was history! I knew I wanted to keep working with plovers and that I also wanted to work on my Master's thesis on them. I am beyond grateful SFBBO has had me back for 7 field seasons and the opportunity to work alongside them to complete my M.S. degree by looking at how predation affects breeding Snowy plovers in the SF Bay, specifically in salt pond habitat. I actually made my love for plovers official this summer by getting a plover tattoo on my forearm!
A: What does an average day of work in the field look like for you?
J: An average day of field work starts very early. Just as the sun is rising 😬 Getting out to our survey sites early to maximise our view before it gets too warm or hard to survey with spotting scopes (*heat waves make it hard to see what's out there). Some areas that we monitor for plover breeding activity are Eden Landing Ecological Reserve, Hayward, CA; Ravenswood Complex, and Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, in Menlo Park, CA in the South Bay. Because many of these salt pond complexes can be rather large (main breeding pond in E14 in Eden Landing is 168 acres but other ponds can be as large as 325 acres!!) we use vehicles to act as blinds (to hide from birds) and we then drive around the pond levees to search for breeding activity within the salt ponds. Once we start our survey, we mark down on our survey sheets all the plovers we see (Male or female, unknown, juvenile or chick), # of plovers, what pond they are in, habitat, behavior (foraging, roosting, incubating a nest, etc) and 4 colored band combination (two on each leg) if they are banded, then we mark on a paper map where they were. While we also do our plover survey, we also keep track of predators we see during our survey and collect similar data (what species, what pond or location, habitat, group # of species, and what activities they were doing).
Once we finish our survey we then continue to search for nests, based on the behavior of adult birds we saw during our survey (copulation, scrapping, tossing, incubation). Once a nest is found (can be difficult to find and sometimes we need someone to guide us to the nest) we will record gps location, number of eggs, if adult is present and/or banded, and then we very carefully float eggs in a container with water to see the estimated incubation stage of the eggs. We then monitor nests weekly until the nest starts to hatch or the fate of the nest is determined (incubation period of 26-31 days). We do this for every nest we have on a pond for that survey day. During the peak of the breeding season (May-July) some days can be long, but worth it when the work is important to do. Then we do it all over again for other pond complexes for the rest of the week and it takes a village of biologists to survey all the ponds each week. Especially since we do this for the entire breeding season that goes from March to September.
Additionally, If the opportunity is perfect and we can get to a hatching nest in time we also attempt band chicks and adults with darvic bands. Snowy Plover chicks and adults receive 4 colored band combination (2 on each leg), with the color pattern being unique to that bird. The 4 colored combo for that bird can tell other biologists and others where the bird was born, its age & other vital information if it moves along the coast.
Snowy plover surveys are not easy but definitely rewarding when you get to see a nest hatch, especially if you have been monitoring it since the nest was first discovered and/or initiated. But mainly, when you get to see snowy plover chicks in a nest! SQUEEEE!!! :)
A: Why are Snowy Plovers a protected species here on Ocean Beach?
J: While snowy plovers have not been known to successfully breed in Ocean Beach, it is still a vital area with a designated Snowy Plover Protection Zone (Stairwell #21, just south of the Beach Chalet, to Sloat Blvd.—including all tidelands.) that is important for them for 10 months out of the year (July to May). Where they spend their time resting along shallow depressions and storing up their fat reserves by feasting on small invertebrates along the kelp and shoreline. Ocean Beach is important because that area helps the overwintering plovers eat, rest and conserve energy for their next breeding season along the coast/SF bay.
An interesting fact from a NPS article about overwintering plovers in Ocean Beach and Crissy Field, is that the "continuing threat to snowy plovers' recent success is people and unleashed dogs disturbing them in Ocean Beach and Crissy Field Wildlife Protection Areas. As in recent years, over 70% of pets on Ocean Beach were off leash during the 2019-2020 survey season. Visitors can do a better job of leashing their pets" to give plovers a better chance at having even more overwintering plovers at Ocean Beach.
A: What can regular folks do to help Snowy Plover populations?
J: Let's keep plovers safe and thriving year round by...
if you walk, jog, fly a kite, play ball or throw a frisbee or ride your horse at the beach then stay near or below the high tide line (wet sand). Try to avoid wrack line (debris left by recent tides or removing driftwood from the beach where camouflaged chicks may be feeding or hiding.
Keep dogs leashed! Dogs will chase plovers and other shorebirds. Even leashed pets can cause extreme distress to shorebirds which they view as four legged predators.
Avoid walking between adults and chicks. If an adult is in distress or vocalizing, YOU ARE TOO CLOSE!!
Clean up your trash and pack it all out! Litter and trash can attract gulls, raccoons, crows, ravens, raptors, and other predators of both chicks and adults.
Not your chips or fries! Feeding wildlife is not healthy for them and feeding wildlife attracts predators.
If you build a moat and/or a sandcastle, make sure you fill any holes you dig before leaving the beach. It can prevent flightless snowy plover chicks from getting stuck and potentially being left behind.
Leave kelp and driftwood on the beach— these provide resting and feeding areas for the Snowy plovers and their chicks.
More importantly—Sharing the beach! Respect plover signs and stay out of protected breeding habitat that is closed off for the breeding season. As visitors to coastal areas we need to respect the shorebirds and critters that call the beach home :)
A: OK, is it pronounced “p-LOVE-r” or “plo-ver”? This is a big debate here at Andytown that we are looking to settle once and for all.
J: This one is a tough one and I had to consult with some of my snowy plover biologists for this one and the consensus is ....... THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER!!
Other pronunciations that came up were "ploh-ver" and "pluh-ver", in addition to "plo-ver" and "p-LOVE-r". While I can't end the debate once and for all, and no matter how you pronounce plover— the great thing about Plovers is that it has the word LOVE in it :)
A: What are the behaviors that we humans have that negatively impact Plover populations? What can we do to keep Plovers safe and thriving?
J: A bit of background about plovers- The Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) is a federally threatened, ground-nesting shorebird species that breeds, roosts, and forages along the Pacific Coast from Southern Washington down to the tip of Baja California. While their typical rangewide habitat is sandy beaches (like in Ocean Beach), and in the San Francisco Bay. It's in the SF Bay where up to 10% of the range-wide breeding population may be found, Snowy plovers utilize salt panne habitat found within former salt production ponds. Snowy plovers in the Bay Area face unique challenges for their recovery compared to other parts of the range due to their habitat type and location within a large urbanized area.
While most humans love and enjoy coastal areas like sandy beaches, so do snowy plovers! They rely on sandy beaches during the breeding season to nest and raise their chicks. Additionally, some plovers may stay in the same area year-round but they also migrate to other areas along the coast during Fall/Winter as well. Threats and reasons for the decline of snowy plovers are- Human disturbance, urban development, predators, and habitat loss. While humans love to enjoy the coast during the time that plovers have their nesting season (March to September), it is important that if any beach has areas designated as plover habitat (signs, closed off areas, protected areas, or signs to keep dog leashed) it is important that we share the space with not only plovers but with other wildlife. If breeding plovers are continuously distubred (human activity, dogs, kites, drones, or predators) it can cause nest and chick abandonment. If an adult is away from the nest for a few moments, its eggs can be crushed, overheat in the sun or exposed to cold, become a meal for a watchful predator, or adults can sadly abandon the nest. It is important that beach goers recreate responsibly. Stay out of protected plover areas and as a dog owner myself, keep dogs leashed. As friendly as a dog can be, it can be scary for a small shorebird that is just only trying to raise their chicks. Snowy plovers have cryptic/sand coloration which helps them blend into their environment, adults and chicks can be almost impossible to see (chicks are helpless and very vulnerable). So if you see an adult plover in distress (vocalizing and doing a broken wing display) during the breeding season, most likely it may have chicks nearby and that is a sign that you are too close!!
Some Snowy Plover Facts
Snowy plovers are a small shorebird, about the size of a soda can and weigh about 35-58 grams (about the same as 6-10 quarters)
Plovers have a sequential polyandrous mating system. Females have multiple male partners during breeding season (F + M, M, M)
Both adults incubate nests. Males (at night) and females (during day) take turns incubating the nest.
Males have the responsibility of raising the chicks (brood). Females may help raise their last brood of the season, but typically they leave a few hours after the chicks hatch :(
Chicks are precocial, meaning that within a few hours of hatching they leave the nest and search for food.
Chicks that are under 1 week old are basically like cotton balls running on toothpicks. Their movement is very uncoordinated during their first week and they often trip and stumble. Don't worry they get more coordinated as they get older :)
Chicks are the size cotton balls when they hatch (size of thumb), and weigh 7 grams (weight of a quarter)
Snowy plover chicks will stay with their parents until they are 28 days of age, until they can fly.
Plover broods can travel as far as 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) from their natal area.
Snowy plovers are fantastic at blending in with their environment. Their cryptic/sandy coloration helps in their ability to blend in with their environment at sandy beaches and salt ponds in SF Bay.
They have been Federally Threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1993
Roughly only 2500 snowy plovers are across the entire Pacific Coast.
Snowy plover have a trilled "purrt" and "tur-weet" calls
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory is celebrating 40 years in 2021 of bird conservation and conserving their habitats through science and outreach!
Instagram @SFBBO
If you would like to know more about snowy plovers, check out this virtual event Jessica did back in 2020 with Peninsula Open Space Trust; Snowy Plovers: The Cutest Birds on the Beach!
Jessica’s personal Instagram is where she posts her adventures with plovers (lots of plover pictures!) and other California wildlife she gets to work with.
