Meet the New Yorkers working to protect the endangered piping plover along our beaches
EDGEMERE, Rockaways (WABC) -- Bird lovers rejoice: it's nesting season for the piping plover, one of the cutest and most vulnerable native birds living along the New York coastline.
The next few months are crucial for the survival of this beloved shorebird species, which is why a group of volunteers have banded together to protect their habitats along local beaches.
NYC Plover Project volunteers work together to protect endangered piping plovers and other shorebirds that nest on our city's beaches.
"There's something like 6,000-8,000 left in the whole world, and the fact that they come here to the New York area, to the shoreline ... that's a massive gift," said Chris Allieri, founder of the NYC Plover Project.
"Piping plovers are such special, adorable birds," said Mel Julien, also part of the NYC Plover Project.
But piping plover chicks can be smaller than a human thumb or a cotton ball - and instead of being fed by mama, the independent chicks often take lengthy journeys from their nesting places to the water's edge to find their food source, a meal of miniature crustaceans and bugs.
If these tiny, endangered chicks cannot eat, they die.
"They have to grow big and strong within a month's time, and then they have to be able to fly, as in, to the Bahamas," Allieri said.
Dogs and humans can scare the birds away from their food source.
More than 150 volunteers get the word out - roping off nesting areas and letting people know how vulnerable these birds are.
"If you come out to the beach, you'll see the signage and the pictures of adult birds and their chicks," Julien said.
The volunteer group's advice: be on the lookout for these tiny birds on your weekend beach trips and be careful as you interact with their habitats. You'll be in good company.
As the nesting season continues, birders come out in droves to enjoy the petite creatures.
"We've gotta share it!" famous birder Christian Cooper said.
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