2004 New Jersey Piping Plover Federal Aid Report: Population Survey

This document reports on a piping plover survey that was conducted to determine statewide and site specific piping plover populations, nesting success and productivity. The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDFW) - Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP) was directly responsible for monitoring around 60% of the state's piping plover nesting sites, which includes half of the state's nesting population. All sites were monitored at least three times weekly, from April to August. A total of 135 pairs of piping plovers nested in NJ in 2004, the first drop in the breeding population in 6 years. NJDFW also compiled and analyzed nesting data for sites not managed by NJDFW, including sites at Gateway National Recreation Area-Sandy Hook Unit. This report recommends continued intensive monitoring of populations and breeding success as well as continued cooperation with other state piping plover managers to help improve the quality of monitoring data.Second title: 2-B Piping Plover Population Surve