16 Nebraskaland • April 2025
IN THE FIELD
As far as I'm concerned, 2024 was the year of Plover
274. She is a piping plover, a small shorebird species that
is both state and federally threatened. The Tern and Plover
Conservation Partnership — a collaboration of Nebraska
Game and Parks, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, private
industry and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — has tracked
more than 800 piping plovers over the years, but Plover 274
stands out for several reasons.
Our record of her began in May 2013, when she was given
colored plastic leg bands that allowed us to uniquely identify
her. Since 2013, Plover 274 has hatched at least five nests
both on sandbars and at sand and gravel mines along the
lower Platte River in Sarpy, Saunders, Douglas and Dodge
counties. This summer, she was back for the first time at the
sand and gravel mine where she was banded 11 years prior.
It was quite a summer for Plover 274. In June, she was
incubating her nest on the sand when big thunderhead
clouds rolled in and brought golf-ball sized hail and 6 inches
of rain in an hour. Once the clouds cleared, Plover 274 was
still there, sitting tight on her nest. Contractors at the sand
and gravel mine where she was nesting were amazed that
a small bird could protect her nest in a storm that cracked
windshields. They fondly called her "Hail Mary" after that.
She successfully hatched her eggs a week later and at the
end of July, Plover 274 was ready for her next adventure —
winter break on a Miami beach.
While Plover 274 became famous in her summer home
this year, she is also popular in her winter abode. She has
spent every winter for the last 12 years at the same beach on
a barrier island off the coast of Florida, where birdwatchers
recognize her distinct leg band color combination. Reports of
Plover 274 on the beach let us know she has made it another
day, which is quite an accomplishment.
Beyond surviving thunderstorms and attracting many
admirers, there's something else special about Plover 274
— she is at least 13 years old, which is more than double the
average lifespan of a piping plover. As the summer of 2025
draws closer, I hope to see her back in Nebraska to raise yet
another brood of chicks and help boost the recovery of her
species.
PLOVER 274
By Elsa Forsberg
Plover 274 has had a very busy year. MICHAEL FORSBERG
