Piping Plover 'nomad' returns to Delaware Shore after rehabilitation efforts

The piping plover has been categorized as a federally threatened species. (Photo from DNREC)

A coordinated rescue and rehabilitation effort involving state and federal agencies has returned a vulnerable piping plover to the Delaware coast, offering hope for the endangered shorebird species.

The adult male plover, known to researchers as “Nomad” due to his distinctive band, was discovered unable to fly or walk at Fowler Beach in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge on June 30.

Though the bird showed no obvious injuries, wildlife biologists from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) suspect Nomad suffered muscle damage caused by a prolonged predator chase — a high-stress event that grounded the federally threatened species.

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Biologists captured Nomad and transferred him to Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research in Newark, Delaware, where he received prompt veterinary care.

Within a week, the plover had recovered well enough to return to the wild.

In July, Nomad was released at The Point in Cape Henlopen State Park — one of Delaware’s two active piping plover breeding sites.

The location offers a relatively low predator presence compared to Fowler Beach and has been a familiar territory for Nomad, who has been spotted there multiple times over the past two years.

“Every individual matters for this vulnerable species, and the major effort between partners to return this bird to the breeding population was an excellent example of collaboration in conservation,” said Kat Christie, DNREC’s Coastal Waterbird Biologist. “The major effort between partners to return this bird to the breeding population was an excellent example of collaboration in conservation.”

Originally banded at Assateague Island National Seashore in 2023, Nomad had been nesting at Fowler Beach since early 2024.

Since his release at Cape Henlopen, he has been observed foraging and behaving like a healthy adult male — a promising sign for conservationists working to protect the species.

Piping plovers are federally listed as threatened and classified as endangered in Delaware.

The state’s largest nesting population is located at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, which also helps bolster plover populations in nearby states including New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.