Species Recovery Objectives for Four Target Species in the Central and Lower Platte River

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limited and adjacent sand pit habitat provides alternative nesting habitat. River sandbar habitat in the lower Platte River is plentiful in some years and the birds seem to use adjacent sand pit habitat less frequently. Sand pits seem to have influenced the birds' distribution by providing alternative nesting habitat along the river where riverine sandbar habitat is limited. Although some investigation has been conducted on the characteristics of sand pit habitat used by nesting terns and plovers (i.e., Kirsch 1996 compares attributes of used and unused sand pits on the Lower Platte River), there does not appear to be a comprehensive description of sand pit habitat, especially foraging habitat. Therefore, this report recommends that such an investigation be conducted and reported. Specifically, data should be gathered on the characteristics of successful tern and plover nesting and fledging on sand pits along the Platte River (e.g., nesting/fledging data, sand pit size, proximity to the river, area of sand and gravel, surface area of water at the pit site, foraging behavior, time budget and energy expenditure data). In addition, the investigations should assess the features of sand pit habitat that would best facilitate their role in assisting to achieve recovery levels for tems and plovers. It is recommended that all breeding adults and fledged piping plover and least tern chicks, whether they fledge from sand pits or riverine or shoreline habitats, count towards species numbers and fledge rate objectives. A.6.2. Standardized Reporting Managers on the Platte River should standardize reporting of fledge rates by reporting tern and plover chicks per pair rather than chicks per nest. In addition, how numbers of pairs are determined and how numbers of young fledged are determined should be standardized among reporting agencies and organizations. Agencies and organizations are currently reporting census data on the Platte River in different formats (i.e., chicks per nest versus chicks per pair). Most agencies and most of the scientific literature reports chicks per pair. When chicks per nest is used, it assumes no renesting. Since renesting does occur, it is recommended that censuses be done more that once per year and that chicks per pair be reported by all agencies and organizations monitoring terns and plovers on the Platte River as well as on sand pits. How numbers of pairs are determined (pairs counted during census, total number of nests initiated, maximum number of adults observed divided by 2, etc.) and how the number of young fledged are determined should also be standardized. 17