In an effort to coax a small shorebird off the federal threatened species list, a historical roosting ground at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa Del Rey has been fenced off to protect it from people and cars, authorities said Wednesday.
The Western snowy plover has been steadily losing its nesting grounds to beachgoers over the last several decades, said Jane Hendron, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Carlsbad.
"Historically, we had Western snowy plovers nesting from Southern California up to Oregon, but as you can imagine, we have developed many hundreds and hundreds of miles of beaches," Hendron said. "Their habitat was lost."
And because the birds are not on the endangered species list, they lack the federal protections afforded other at-risk species.
"These delightful little birds are in a bit of a politically created dilemma," said David De Lange, president of the Los Angeles Audubon Society. "In a given county, in order for them to get protection of a high sort that’s legally backed, you have to have evidence of nesting…. But to get that nesting occurring, you need to get protections in place so the bird feels safe. That’s the political dilemma the bird faces."
The enclosure just north of Imperial Highway is the result of three years of effort by federal and county officials and the Audubon Society. The Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to spending up to $14,000 on the project, officials said.
Passersby may spot an orange mesh fence surrounding the 300-by-100-feet enclosure, with one side open to the ocean. What they may not see, however, are the Western snowy plovers.
"You can look right at them and think you’re looking at sand," said De Lange, an experienced birdwatcher.
Plovers nest in the dunes by scratching an indentation in the sand, sometimes under a piece of debris, and lay their sand-colored eggs inside.
But their camouflage may also make them vulnerable to unwary foot traffic.
"The chicks look like little cotton balls on sticks. They are cute," Hendron said. "But it’s very easy to miss them, and if people even let their dogs off the leash, the dogs can step on the eggs. They can kill a chick."
That could be one reason the birds do not feel safe enough to nest at the Dockweiler site. The plovers will roost or hang out, but once the instinct to lay eggs kicks in, they tend to leave for other areas, birdwatchers say.
This has become a problem across the county, De Lange said, noting there has not been a confirmed Western snowy plover nesting on an L.A. County beach since 1949.
Scientists hope that fencing off the area will discourage people from disturbing the birds, allowing them to relax enough to feel secure and build nests.
Experts have tried this approach at other sites in California, including Huntington Beach, with positive results, Hendron said.
"The hope is that these birds feel protected enough to breed and to fledge a chick," said Garry George, conservation chairman for the L.A. Audubon Society, which plans to set up telescopes and start a docent program to teach beachgoers about the plovers. "That’s how you get birds off the list."
Figures show local conservation efforts may be working. The U.S. population of the species in 1993, when it was first listed as threatened, numbered fewer than 1,400. In 2005, the official head count had reached 2,500.
— Amina Khan