Harder To Find Now

This morning was the last date that the Change-house chicks were observed at Grand Beach. Plovers may be observed from time to time foraging on the beaches, but by this stage of development, it is impossible to distinguish between the adults and the newly fledged chicks. All the birds, adults and young, will shortly migrate to the south and south-east coasts of the U.S. before returning to the Prairies again next spring.

The Change-house Chicks

The Change-house chicks have finally fledged and have been observed as far west as the Channel, always in the presence of an adult. Barring predation, they should have moved away from the Grand Beach area by mid-month.

Stevens Island & the Channel Chicks

All the chicks on Stevens Island and from the Channel nest have survived successfully and have now flown away from their nest sites. In the end, there were three surviving chicks on Stevens Island and two chicks from the Channel nest. Given how vulnerable the plovers are during incubation and while the chicks are young and flightless, some losses are inevitable. Compared with recent years' success rate, this year has been better in terms of chick survival.