John Martin Reservoir

endangered birds 7/10/02 11:51 AM Page 1 © Bob Gress © Bob Gress Interior Least Tern The adult breeding Piping Plover is a small © Bob Gress Piping Plover For further information about Piping Plovers and Least Terns, please contact: Colorado State Parks John Martin Reservoir State Park PO Box 149 Hasty, CO 81044 719-336-1690 www.parks.state.co.us The Least Tern is a small swallowlike bird with black outer wing feathers and a slightly forked tail. The black head, white forehead with sandy-gray colored bird with a white breast throat. Smaller than a robin, the Piping Plover has orange legs and an orange bill with a black tip. The Piping Plover searches © Bob Gre ss the shorelines for insects to eat. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers John Martin Reservoir 29955 County Road 25.75 Hasty, CO 81044 719-336-3476 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 755 Parfet Street, Suite 361 Lakewood, CO 80215 303-275-2370 www.fws.gov Cover photos: Piping Plover hatchling © Bob Gress; Piping Plover and Interior Least Tern © D. Robert Franz Printed on recycled paper with at least 30% post-consumer waste black eye stripes, yellow legs, and yellow bill contrast with its pale gray body and white belly. Least Terns eat mainly small fishes and catch them by diving into shallow Sharing the Shoreline Help us conserve the Least Terns and Piping Plovers water areas. Gress © Bob and one distinctive dark band around its Colorado Division of Wildlife Lamar Area Office 1204 East Olive Lamar, CO 81052 719-336-6600 endangered birds 7/10/02 11:51 AM Page 2 The Interior Least Tern and the Piping plovers for nesting. Both birds nest in small, shallow depressions that they excavate and raise their AREA CLOSED TO ALL PUBLIC ACCESS It is impossible to mark all of birds and their young may reside at John Martin the nesting sites. Regardless Reservoir until late September before they begin of whether or not the areas are their migration south. (INCLUDING PETS) Plover share the shorelines of John Martin, Adobe n Nelso uane D © ns. Creek (Blue Lake), st Ter r Lea io r e t In Great Plains, Timber Lake, and many Adult other reservoirs of southeast Colorado with a growing number of campers, fishermen, and other outdoor enthusiasts. These two species of birds young along the shorelines and on man-made islands. The nests are very hard to see. Nesting success varies from year to year depending upon water levels, vegetative encroachment, local weather conditions, predators, and human disturbance. While considerable research still needs to be done, nest and chick loss appear to be a major factor are also threatened with extinction. limiting the growth of both species. At John Martin The Least Tern was federally listed as endangered Reservoir, predation and human disturbance are in 1985 under the Endangered Species Act and major causes of nest and chick loss. January of marked with signs, harassment or harm of either terns or plovers (including adults, young, eggs, or nests) is a violation of both state and federal law. Violations are punishable by fines up to $100,000, up to three years in jail, suspension harm of an endangered species. added to to all public access (including Colorado’s pets) during the nesting threatened conserve these endangered species by avoiding active nesting areas and not disturbing the birds. The best action to take upon observing a closure or an unmarked nest site is to avoid it completely! An adult Piping Plover on the shoreline. © Duane Nelson and brooding season. This Both birds will lay creamy white to tan colored, action is necessary to speckled eggs in the nest. Terns typically lay up Outdoor prevent disturbance to or to three eggs and plovers up to four eggs. They enthusiasts destruction of nests, adult often share the same nesting areas but the Piping enjoy a birds, or hatchlings. Plover usually nests singly and Least Terns typically list in 1996. variety of An Interior Least Tern nest. © Duane Nelson are often the same areas used by terns and birds, but much remains to be done. Please help us in the disturbance. Any trespass into manageable. In addition to public education efforts of the shoreline are closed the shoreline areas that people use for recreation is being made towards securing a future for these forfeiture of any vehicles/vessels used is viewed as harassment and/or such as this brochure, portions activities at John Martin Reservoir. Unfortunately, well as habitat protection and restoration, progress of hunting and fishing privileges, and/or Of these causes, human disturbance is the most 1986 and recreation With continued public education and research, as a closure area by people or pets listed by Colorado as endangered in 1996. Piping Plovers were federally listed as threatened in THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES LEAST TERN / PIPING PLOVER NESTING AREA These closures are posted with signs and/or simple fencing, alerting people on shore to the presence of active bird nesting sites. Buoys nest in colonies. Terns defend their nesting colonies by calling and diving at intruders and dropping excrement on those that get too close to the nests. with signs warn boaters and swimmers to the Piping Plovers typically arrive in Colorado in mid- presence of nesting sites. April and Least Terns arrive in mid-May. The adult nest lover ing P ip P A ew and n n Nelso uane D © lings. hatch