By Lukas Padegimas

I walk along the quiet, deserted beach of the bay, with my family following closely behind, searching for seashells. Least Terns fly only 4 feet away and magically dive into the water and fly out carrying minnows in their beaks to feed their young. It is a late-June evening at a wonderful bird sanctuary, Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware.

While many beach-goers enjoy the ocean waves on the other side of the Point, I walk and search among large numbers of Laughing Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls for an elusive Piping Plover. Finally, it begins to rain. I approach a small “barrier” separating the small bird sanctuary called the Point and its nesting rare birds from the constant human activity. The place looks so serene. I look, but only Sanderlings and Laughing Gulls gather in small groups along the shore.

As we are about to leave, I hear an unfamiliar quick Peep! And there, right in front of my father’s feet, sits a tiny, whitish bird with an extremely pale gray back and two short black lines on the head. My first Piping Plover! It’s unmistakable, and only two feet away from me. It is paler than the wet sand on which it stands.

Then to my surprise, two more Piping Plovers— another female and a male—fly into the beach area right in front of me. Then the male ruffles his feathers outward to look like a ball of feathers and chases the two females in a circle. This sight is unforgettable. Not only do I get to see Piping Plovers, but I’m able to see them displaying in their mating games right in front of me.

Two days after this incident, I saw a Piping Plover on the beach sitting on a nest in the distance. A sign had been posted stating that the Piping Plover chicks had hatched and requesting that everyone on the beach be careful. Then I watched a tragedy unfold. After a few minutes of serene quiet, suddenly, the Least Terns started to make a lot of noise and many flew up into the air with the Laughing Gulls and began circling a dune. In the grass, a large hairy monster ran as fast as it could, most likely carrying something in its massive jaws.

I could not tell for sure what the “monster” was, a cat or a dog, but how could a protected area with at least three endangered birds nesting in it have a dog running around and feeding on these vanishing treasures? I was horrified. The same day I saw more threats. The sun was setting and a photographer wanted a better view, so he stepped across the rope that separated where people were allowed to walk and where they weren’t to take a better picture! Is that ignorance or indifference? I was outraged. He took only a few steps inside, but doesn’t that set an example for other people, encouraging them to trespass further? I gave him the death stare until he left. The people renting canoes also came really close to the beach. I guess this isn’t that stressful; at least that is what the naturalist that worked there said.

The total population of Piping Plovers in Cape Henlopen State Park is 17 birds. The total number of nests was up to seven. Before seeing what was happening that day, I couldn’t really imagine why their numbers were declining so much. After seeing the “monster” and the uncaring people, I realize that Piping Plovers have almost no chance of surviving. Their decline is really marked, especially in the Delmarva Peninsula. In the next 20 to 30 years, they will be extinct if no drastic efforts are taken to insure their survival. The nestlings that hatched most likely will not survive, with things stepping on them and eating them.

However, the park has taken several steps to try to curb human interference in the restricted areas. The main problem the Piping Plovers and other endangered nesters have is with the trucks of unaware fishermen running them over and with unleashed dogs.

Here is the list of fines imposed:

• For trespassing into this zone: $700 fine
• For having a dog with you when you are trespassing: $2,000 fine
• If you are annoying or the policeman doesn’t like you: up to $1,500 extra
• For going in a truck into a restricted area: $3,000 fine plus $1,500 for every foot of tire tracks in the restricted area (no reduction in fines, they were warned)

Pretty expensive? These sanctions were established to stop the main threat to the birds: fishermen running over barely visible nests. However, the question is how often the laws are enforced. I was at the Point several times during my five-day stay at the park, and did not see a ranger or an officer once!

Something needs to be done to save the Piping Plovers. The sight of three Piping Plovers scurrying right in front of me, one turning itself into a fluffed-up ball of feathers and chasing the others, was priceless. How can we let them go? Only 2,000 individuals remain of the Atlantic population. How many more have to disappear—or is it already too late?