A T of T Beaches
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by Lynn Morgenstern
The buff-colored piping
plover (Charadrius melodus), so well
camouflaged that it blends into the
beach environment to the point of
invisibility, is receiving a great deal
of attention on Kiawah. The Town
of Kiawah Island has designated
two critical habitat areas for piping
plovers in order to protect the birds
from disturbance. One area is on the
western end of the beach: extending
from a point 3,000 feet West of the
Beachwalker Park vehicle access to
the end of the Island; and the other
begins at the former vehicle access at
the Ocean Course: covering the beach
and dunes to the East. Within these
areas, dogs must remain on leashes
and vehicles are prohibited in order to
reduce stress on the plovers.
Piping plovers are small and
stocky. They weigh one and a half
to two ounces and are seven inches
long. Their wingspan is twice their
body length, evidence of the important
role migration plays in their life cycle.
During the summer, there are three
major breeding populations of piping
plovers: the Atlantic Coast population
which extends from Newfoundland
to North Carolina, the Great Plains
population and the Great Lakes
population. All of these populations
migrate to wintering grounds along
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