It's been a great summer for piping plovers in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire's Fish and Game Department says a record number of state-endangered and federally threatened piping plovers hatched this summer at Hampton and Seabrook beaches.
Five pairs nested on Hampton Beach fledged 10 chicks. On Seabrook Beach, six pairs of plovers fledged 10 chicks. Those numbers surpassed last year's record of nine pairs and 17 chicks fledged, respectively.
Biologist Brendan Clifford with the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program said birds born in New Hampshire have a good chance of returning to their native beaches after spending the winter on the Florida coast or the Caribbean.
The bird's population has reached almost 2,000 pairs along the coast from North Carolina to Canada since it was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1986.
