It’s been an uphill battle for New Hampshire’s piping plovers, but a handful of newborn chicks on the Seacoast have given officials reason to hope that the endangered birds are rebounding. Six fledgling plovers survived this summer in Hampton and Seabrook.

Piping plovers are federally threatened and are classified as endangered in New Hampshire. Authorities have been working to protect the species along the Atlantic Coast from South Carolina to Newfoundland, Canada. New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program has been monitoring plover nests in the Seacoast since 1996.

Fish and Game monitor Samantha Niziolek confirmed that three chicks recently fledged from Seabrook Beach. Another three chicks fledged from Hampton Beach State Park at the end of June. Four chicks hatched at each location, but two of them died. Another nest established at Seabrook Beach this year failed before hatching.

Nevertheless, Fish and Game employees are encouraged that six chicks have survived.

“The plovers were fortunate not to have any of their nests destroyed by high tides this spring,” biological technician Brendan Clifford said in a press release. “In recent years, strong spring storms have forced many pairs to re-nest, putting additional stress on the birds.”

Fish and Game staff and volunteers set up fencing around nesting habitats each spring. If a nest is established, they add wire cages to protect the eggs from predators like skunks, seagulls and crows. Over the last decade, 81 chicks have successfully fledged in New Hampshire.

The six chicks that survived this summer are now gearing up to migrate south for the winter. Fish and Game is looking for volunteers to monitor activity and inform beachgoers of the protection effort. Anyone interested should call 603-271-0463 or send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it