National Parks Traveler reports on the dilemma Cape Cod National Seashore officials have with managing crows that are killing endangered piping plovers.The crows like eating the plovers' eggs which are plentiful around the March through May nesting season. One-third of all plover eggs are eaten by crows. A solution was to place wire cages around the nests (picture above), but the intelligent black birds realized that if they landed fast and loud on the top of the cages, the plovers would run out in fright thus leaving their eggs unattended.
Poisoning the crows was a plan that had been thought up but became controversial.
While seashore officials go over their shorebird management plan and continue to invite public comments on how best to deal with crows and plovers, shorebird management activities will continue as in previous years with the use of enclosures to protect nesting plovers from predators. In addition, the seashore will implement a flexible shorebird management approach this summer on several high visitation beaches.Read the full story: Cape Cod National Seashore officials revisit plan to kill crows to help piping plovers
Photo from Sidney Maddock / NPS
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