Hampton Beach piping plovers won't stop Memorial Day weekend fireworks

HAMPTON — Piping plovers will not stop fireworks at Hampton Beach this Memorial Day weekend as they have for the last two years.

The birds have nested close to the launch area for the fireworks since 2020 and were the reason fireworks were called off for Memorial Day in 2021 and 2022. Plovers are protected by both state and federal endangered species laws. Their nests are roped off from the public, and harming, harassing or taking a piping plover or one of its eggs can result in jail or fines of up to $25,000.

Beach officials learned Thursday from New Hampshire Fish and Game the birds moved their nests away from the area where the fireworks are launched. The fireworks are scheduled for Sunday, May 28 at 9:30 p.m.

“The birds have nested further north and further south than last year,” said Chuck Rage, chairman of the Hampton Beach Village District commissioners.

Rage said he was called by Fish and Game biologist Brendan Clifford Thursday morning and was told Fish and Game would monitor to see how the birds react to the fireworks. Loud noises can disturb the birds’ nest and impact their ability to reproduce.

Rage said the hope is the nests are far enough away so fireworks can continue all summer. Hampton Beach hosts weekly fireworks shows every Wednesday night, starting June 28, along with special shoots like the Fourth of July.

“If all goes well, we should be good for the rest of the season,” Rage said.

Rage said the Village District is using a different kind of fireworks that are not as loud as the ones used in past years. He hopes the change will mitigate the impact on the plovers.

Clifford said the use of smaller fireworks was a recommendation made by the federal Fish and Wildlife Service in anticipation of the plovers’ return in 2023.

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Why piping plovers are now on Hampton Beach

The piping plovers are an endangered species with populations recovering in locations all along the eastern seaboard. While the population in New England has improved in recent years, plovers in southern states have continued to struggle, according to Clifford and other biologists.

In New Hampshire, the small birds normally nest each year at the southern end of the beach in the sandy dunes at Hampton and Seabrook beaches. However, they migrated to the main beach in 2020 when it was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials said at the time the birds may have discovered the area because no one was on the beach.

The birds returned the following year to nest near the fireworks launch site again in 2021. The birds’ nesting season caused fireworks to be canceled in May and June each year, though the plovers left the area in time for the Fourth of July show.

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14 pairs of plovers on Hampton and Seabrook beaches

Clifford said there are 14 pairs of plovers in New Hampshire’s coastline – seven in Hampton and seven in Seabrook.

The two pairs nearest the fireworks are about a half-mile each away from the launch, which Clifford said is just on the line for what is allowed.

“This is just a hair under,” Clifford said.

Clifford said biologists do not have a lot of data on plover nesting at this distance, so a lot will be learned Sunday night when the fireworks go off. He said last year the birds were fine at this distance when they moved their hatchlings from their nests to the northern end of the beach. This time, though, the young will not have hatched yet, and Clifford said his team will watch for whether the noise causes the birds to abandon their eggs.

“It’s kind of a trial, and certainly if they don’t do well… that might influence future efforts,” Clifford said. “Maybe that’s too close and we can’t have fireworks.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach piping plovers won't stop Memorial Day weekend fireworks