Piping Plover - Migration

Piping Plovers migrate north to their breeding habitat in the spring and migrate south in the fall to spend the winter along the Gulf of Mexico and southern Atlantic Coast. Piping Plovers typically arrive in Nebraska in mid to late April and depart by late August to early September. The earliest known arrival date in Nebraska is 27 March and the latest known departure date is 24 October.

Piping Plover on sand
Piping Plover Winter Migration - Example 1
This Piping Plover was banded as a one day old chick on 4 June 2012 at a sand and gravel mine near Fremont, Nebraska. He was observed and photographed just over two months later on Cumberland Island, Georgia and then another month later was observed and photographed in the Florida Keys.
Piping Plover Winter Migration - Example 2
This Piping Plover was banded as a one day old chick on 20 July 2009 at a sand and gravel mine near Ashland, Nebraska. This same plover was observed and photographed just over two years later near Galveston, Texas. This plover has been reported near Galveston, Texas several times during the 2011-2012 winter and the 2012-2013 winter.