Arriving at the beach at 5:30 this morning, Little Chick and Papa Plover were found quickly, both feeding in the the intertidal zone, and both doing beautifully, despite the previous day’s cold, wet, and windy weather.
What first caught my attention though was the fact that the high tide line was up to the edge of the dunes, so high that if a similar super high tide had happened in June, the PiPl nest would have been flooded. Are we experiencing a King Tide I wonder? I have been filming daily at GHB since April and have not previously seen the high water mark quite so high this season. Meteorologists reading this post, please let us know what you think. Google wasn’t much help. Thank you!
The seaweed deposited from last night’s tide shows that the high tide was up to the edge of the dunes in some areas.
With the tide so high, Papa and the chick were not feeding in the wrack line, no insects I imagine. We’ve all seen short little flights, but no sustained flights as of yet. I am not surprised as this coincides with what was recorded last summer filming Plovers.
Yesterday morning and today were too wet and drizzly to use the good cameras, especially my new (and this time, insured) lens, but I did have my cell phone with. The first shows Little Chick running in average speed, not the top speed in which he is capable. The second, in slo mo. He really is the cutest, a small little bird with a big huge personality 🙂
https://www.instagram.com/p/BW-BpGAlxPe/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BW-CxytFHjG/
Good Morning Gloucester 
Love all your beach posts, Kim. Our family always spends two weeks at Good Harbor, and it was hard to leave halfway through the Piping Plover story. Thank you for keeping us up to date. There were some huge high tides around June 25 (11.5 feet or so) during the new moon, and looks like there are more a month later — although last night it was supposed to be “only ” 11.2 feet. In June the water did not go all the way to the dunes, but was halfway up the lifeguard chair near the creek, grandkids wading out to it waist high. I suppose it has to do with the conformation of the beach when the high tides hit, since one of the fascinations of the beach is that it changes every day.
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Thank you for sharing that info nmat41, very good to know! And thank you for the good words for the Plover and GHB coverage. I think so too, re your comment about how wonderfully fascinating is life at the edge of the sea. We’re so fortunate in Gloucester to be surrounded by a wide range of incredible shoreline habitats. I emphasize very much your dislike for leaving Gloucester. I love every minute of living here and remember as kid how terribly hard it was to leave my grandparent’s summer home on Cape Cod.
More PiPl/GHB coverage to come 🙂
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Hi Kim, I so enjoy your posts of Little Chick. This video is too cute. I have seen him at GHB since he was tiny but can’t be there as often as I would like so your photos are much appreciated. Thanks for promoting awareness of the PiPl’s and also the carry-in/carry-out issue at GHB.
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Thank you deb for your kind comments and I am so glad you can come and visit him! He and Papa were there this morning and I got to film Little Chick taking an extended bath–very sweet and funny. I can’t wait to start editing the film footage!
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Keep up the great work the plovers know and appreciate it TOO! 🙂 Dave & Kim 🙂
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Thank you Dave 🙂
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I just love this chick. Keep on piping !!!
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Love this chick!!!!!
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