Western snowy plover chick hatches at coastal park

NEHALEM, Ore. (AP) – A Western snowy plover chick has hatched on a beach at Nehalem Bay State Park, the first hatchling spotted there since the 1960s.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said Wednesday that the species is showing signs of recovery along Oregon’s southern coast, but this is the first hatchling in the Nehalem Bay area in Tillamook County.

Western snowy plovers are a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act and are protected in all West Coast states.

Plovers nest in shallow scrapes in the sand that are almost invisible.

The birds will abandon the eggs if the nests are disturbed.

The Nehalem nesting area is clearly designated with signs and remains off-limits until the nesting season ends.