Piping Plover II

A pair of Piping Plovers/Charadrius melodus on the urban beach. Federally listed as endangered on Great Lakes beaches and threatened on the East Coast beaches, these tiny shorebirds are almost but not quite hidden among the broken surf clams and civilizational detritus.

These two are behind stringy fencing. There are a lot of signs, but not many rangers (or volunteers) to enforce the unbalanced competition between humans, their pet dogs, and these beach-nesters. No dogs or kites are allowed on these federally-maintained beaches from March to September, but Gateway is an NRA, or National Recreation Area, not a national park, and people keep bringing their dogs. Some people just believe they are entitled to do have their dogs with them at all times, nature be damned, and walk right by the signs.