by Meaghan Lyon, Wildlife Biologist
The well-known Piping Plover pair, Joey and Hamlet, has been monitored by Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF) at the Sea Girt National Guard Training Center (NGTC) for three nesting seasons (check out our last blog on Joey and Hamlet’s arrival here!
Joey hatched in June 2018 in Sea Bright, New Jersey and was banded as a chick by a qualified team of biologists. Likewise, Hamlet hatched just a few nests south and was also banded as a chick. The two chicks arrived back in New Jersey as first year breeders in 2019 and decided to nest at the NGTC but they were not a couple yet! In 2019, Joey nested with an unbanded bird, and Hamlet nested with a plover named Bo (also banded in 2018 as a chick in monmouth county). It wasn’t until 2020 that Joey and Hamlet decided to give it a try and they have been inseparable ever since!
This pair has been very successful at fledging plover chicks to add to New Jersey’s population each year! So far they have fledged 3 chicks in 2020 and 3 chicks in 2021. Stay tuned to find out how the 2022 nesting season plays out!
Fun Fact: Prior to working as a Wildlife Biologist for CWF, Meag Lyon worked for NJDEP’s Endangered species program as a seasonal technician monitoring plover populations at Sea Bright where she assisted in the banding and monitoring of Joey and Hamlet as chicks! Fast forward a few years later and she still has a hand in protecting these plovers during the nesting season.
Tags: Conserve Wildlife Foundation, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, New Jersey, piping plover, plover, wildlife