By Noah Froh

Since April, with the help of BiodiversityWorks and the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation has been hard at work monitoring and managing our beaches for shorebirds. These properties include: Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary in West Tisbury, Squibnocket Pond Reservation in Aquinnah, Francis Preserve on Chappaquiddick, and Little Beach in Edgartown, which has become a premier nesting site on the Island. We also received valuable help from our passionate Winging It! 4-H club members and Volunteer Trail Steward Ed Gilmartin.
For yet another year, Little Beach in Edgartown was our most popular nesting site for piping plovers (Charadrius melodus), American oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus), black skimmers (Rynchops niger), and both least tern (Sternula antillarum) and common tern (Sterna hirundo) colonies, and willet (Tringa semipalmata). Little Beach is also a popular site for many of the migratory shorebirds who stop and rest in the late summer as they begin migrating south. This property hosted nine piping
plover pairs and four American oystercatcher pairs, three willet pairs, several hundred pairs of terns, as well as a colony of 21 pairs of black skimmers.
This year as the shorebirds began nesting and claiming their territories, one curious piping plover pair chose a spot near the property boundary of Little Beach. This spot is typically where beachgoers and visitors are allowed to walk and observe the birds; however, due to the nest location, staff were required to quickly close off the beach completely to protect the pair. During this time, the shorebirds were best viewed from the boat launch on Braley’s Way, or at a safe distance from shore in a kayak. Thanks to the cooperative efforts of the public and consistent monitoring from SMF and BiodiversityWorks, this pair was able to successfully fledge two chicks.
Piping plovers are listed as a threatened species both in Massachusetts and on the Federal Endangered Species List. The state of Massachusetts currently has the largest breeding population along the Atlantic coast. As a friendly reminder, property closures and updates can be found on the free TrailsMV mobile app, or by calling our office at (508) 693-5207.
Black Skimmer Banding
Since 2018, the black skimmers have been nesting at Little Beach. Starting out with just 12 nesting pairs, the colony has steadily grown to its current size of 21 nesting pairs. In 2017, BiodiversityWorks partnered with MassWildlife and The Trustees of Reservations to begin banding black skimmers on Martha’s Vineyard as part of a larger Atlantic Coast effort to gather data on their survival and movements. Sheriff’s Meadow joined the partnership one year later. Each state uses a different color band, and a unique letter and number code are stamped onto these bands so that when birders or biologists re-sight these skimmers they can be identified.
As more data is collected over the years, we can better understand their migration movements, estimate survival for first-year birds and other age classes, and learn where chicks eventually nest as adults. It is exciting to see many of the same pairs return year after year, and to learn more about where they spend their winters. Many of our banded birds are frequently re-sighted on the Atlantic coast of Florida in the Jacksonville area, but some have wandered as far south as Key West! On Martha’s Vineyard, the black skimmers are at the northern end of the breeding range, with the Little Beach colony being recognized as the northernmost nesting site.

The Banding Process- How does it work?
Monitoring is key: SMF and BiodiversityWorks closely monitor the skimmer colony throughout the spring and summer. When the chicks hatch, we wait approximately three weeks to make sure the chicks’ legs are the right size for the bands.
Formulate a Plan: After acquiring state and federal permits, a banding team is formed by BiodiversityWorks which includes staff from Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, The Trustees, and Mass Audubon. We gather early in the morning and review our plan, which is largely dependent on the nesting area location, number of skimmers, and which other nests/chicks are active in the area.
Entering the Nesting Site: The team of eight trained professionals carefully enters the black skimmer colony, remaining in constant communication to ensure the safety of the skimmers as well as terns and plovers that are also nesting nearby. Chicks are carefully placed in soft pillowcases and brought to the banding station, which is set up outside of the nesting area.
Measurements: Chicks are weighed, measured, and banded. Each chick receives a pumpkin colored band (with a unique field-readable code) and a metal federal bird band with a unique number. It is worth noting that this process is an extremely rare opportunity for staff and offers the incredible chance to appreciate these birds wherein we are able to observe their unique structure and behaviors.
Release: The black skimmers are placed back in their soft holding pen, and then returned to their parents. Most of the chicks fledge, or become fully developed for flight, about a week after the bands are placed. Many of the skimmers will leave Little Beach by mid August, while some other shorebirds will remain in the area until October. We look forward to receiving news of the re-sights of our birds throughout the fall and winter, and hopefully seeing many of them return next season!