2023 was a challenging year for New Jersey’s beach-nesting birds. According to Todd Pover, senior wildlife biologist with Conserve Wildlife Foundation, “Most of the species fared poorly on a statewide basis, and even though they can withstand periodic down years, several trends are worrisome to biologists and wildlife managers.”

While the state’s piping plover breeding population remained the same as last year, with 118 pairs, productivity was just 0.53 chicks fledged per pair – the second…