His name is Loki and he is burdened with glorious purpose!
This Loki is not from Asgard, he’s a Jersey guy, banded in Ocean City in 2021 by our colleagues across the bay at New Jersey Fish & Wildlife. We know from banding that we sometimes trade birds between states, and we are lucky to have Loki – though the NJ folks may not agree. Before he came to Delaware, Loki, like his frost giant namesake, had a rough go and just couldn’t get it together. His young didn’t make it (it was maybe a little bit his fault), but we don’t judge our plovers by just one year! He redeemed himself in 2023 by fledging a chick at Fowler Beach with a new kid on the block and he really came into his own in 2024 when he fledged his entire brood of 4 chicks. Phenomenal!
If you know piping plovers, fledging all four of their chicks is no small feat – the goal for recovery of this species is 1.5 chicks per pair across five years. For some sites, especially in the southern portion of their range, fledging less than one chick per pair is still common. Or zero chicks per pair (yikes). Loki is a feisty guy, and we are looking forward to what he will do in 2025.
From March 1 to September 30, Fowler Beach is closed to public access to prevent disturbance to nesting birds and their young as well as migrating shorebirds like the red knot. Please obey all posted signage and avoid entering areas that are marked as closed so that vulnerable wildlife, plants, and their habitats can thrive!
