Piping plovers are back! These small, sand colored shorebirds have faced hard times in the past. But thanks to the efforts of Mass Audubon’s Coastal Waterbird Program, residents, and beach goers, plovers in Massachusetts have increased five-fold in the last 30 years.
Plovers will soon be laying eggs on our beaches. You can help them be successful this year by keeping an eye out for the temporary protective fencing. Not sure what a plover or its chicks look like? Enjoy five photos from our Photo Contest!

2012 Photo Contest Entry © Andy Todzia

2012 Photo Contest Entry © Christopher Ciccone

2014 Photo Contest Entry © David Peller

2012 Photo Contest Entry © Larry Warfield

2011 Photo Contest Entry © William Wrobel
I see them every year at Horseneck Beach