Piping Plovers Banded on the Shore of Lake Michigan

Piping Plovers, Charadrius melodus, are an endangered species of shorebird. Every year, during breeding season, groups of volunteers and National Lakeshore Rangers and staff along the shore of Lake Michigan work together caring for these nesting pairs and their chicks. Plover nest sites are monitered, chicks are counted, banded and protected. This video tells the tale of a group of caring students who give their time to banding Plover chicks. On a hot July day this summer, they tagged a group of four chicks on a beach on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. The chicks were located, captured, and tagged. The team works as a group to record information, including gathering DNA. After tagging and recording data, the adult plovers are located on the beach and the chicks are released back to their care.

Thank you to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Rangers and Staff; Students-Charles Smith, Kelly Duhn, Melissa Breyer, David Spencer, Nicholas Holomuzki, and a special thank you to Plover Tagger Sarah Saunders whose help was invaluable.

Videographer: Terry Schoenberg
Producer: Annette Schoenberg

Music: “Sailor’s Lament” by Jason Shaw