Plover Primetime: Issue #8 Lorc and Sasquatch

Plover Primetime: Issue #8 Lorc and Sasquatch
Welcome to the eighth installment in our new interpretive series – Plover Primetime!

Everyone’s favorite greenskin pencil pusher has returned from his ranging once again to raise more j’sons and j’daughters at Fowler Beach.  Lorc was banded at Fowler in 2023 as an adult and has come back every season since.  Because he always comes back. 

A piping plover stand atop an outcrop of tube-building worm reef with the bay in the background. A green, brown, and gold stylized graphic along the top of the frame contains white text that reads, “Lorc” followed by a white bow and arrow. Four cynlinders underneath the graphic illustrate the plover’s band combination as light blue over black on the left and green over yellow on the right. On the left side of the frame, character art of Lorc Irontusk from the Glass Cannon Podcast shows a green male humanoid
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Like many plovers, Lorc is a pretty ferocious parent and will do anything to protect his nest.  When predators (or our biologists) show up, plovers start alarm-calling to let other plovers in the area know that there are intruders.  If the intruders get too close, the parent will put on the performance of a lifetime.  They’ll throw themselves to the sand, start flopping around like they have a broken wing, and make the most pitiful sounds a plover can muster.  If the plover rolls well on their performance check, the predator will believe they’re an easy meal and they can lead it away from the nest. 

Erin Betancourt/USbet365ios

This behavior, appropriately called a “broken-wing act” or “wing feigning,” can also be seen in other shorebirds such as killdeer and American oystercatchers.  Our biologists prefer it to the least tern’s more egregious method of predator deterrence.  Pee-yew! 

Lorc’s mate for this year has been a little harder to pin down.  Keep your eyes peeled and your cameras ready.  She’s proving to be rather elusive.  So far, this is all the evidence that we’ve been able to gather of her existence:

A composite of 9 blurry images of the bay, sandy gravel beach, and tube-building worm reef. All images contain a small sandy-colored bird. Some of the images contain an additional gray and white bird in the background.
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Just kidding.  Sasquatch is plenty easy to find if you know where to look – despite her quiet nature.  She also was banded in 2023 as an adult and neither she nor Lorc were able to fledge a single chick with their respective partners that year.  It was a bit of a rough time for our south Fowler nesting pairs and their chicks seemed to take the brunt of the predation.  In 2024, Lorc and Sasquatch were together for the first time (that we know of), and they fledged 3 chicks together!  Cross your fingers for a stellar repeat performance. 

A piping plover facing right along a gravel and sand beach with a sanderling out of focus in the background. A wooden sign graphic along the top reads, “Sasquatch”. To the left of the text is a graphic of a sasquatch silhouette and underneath are seven black footprints. To the right of the text are four cylinders illustrating the plover’s band combination as light blue over black on the left and black over gray on the right. Pine trees frame the bottom border in four shades of dark green.
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From March 1 to September 30, Fowler Beach is closed to public access to prevent disturbance to nesting birds and their young as well as migrating shorebirds like the red knot.  Please obey all posted signage and avoid entering areas that are marked as closed so that vulnerable wildlife, plants, and their habitats can thrive! 

All media captured by our staff during routine nest monitoring surveys. 
Original character art of Lorc Irontusk by Shaun Makes @ 

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