Local News

N.H. authorities investigating after eggs were allegedly taken from a piping plover nest at Hampton Beach

Anyone with any information should contact Operation Game Thief at 1-800-344-4262.

Police are requesting the public's help in learning the identity of the person(s) who allegedly tampered with a state-endangered piping plover nest at Hampton Beach, such as the one pictured here. NH Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division and Operation Game Thief

By Heather Alterisio

August 16, 2022

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is requesting the public’s help in identifying those responsible for allegedly tampering with a state-endangered piping plover nest at Hampton Beach last month.

A piping plover. *– NH Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division and Operation Game Thief*

Authorities believe two piping plover eggs may have been illegally taken from an active nest between the evening of Friday, July 15, and the morning of Saturday, July 16, the department announced Monday. The nest is located on the northern part of Hampton Beach across from Ron’s Landing Restaurant.

“Early Saturday morning, Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program biologists documented footprints inside the fenced-area starting from the seawall and leading directly to the nest when the eggs were discovered missing,” the department said in a Facebook post.

Piping plovers are small, sand-colored shorebirds that nest on coastal beaches and around dunes during the summer. They are considered “endangered” in New Hampshire and are listed as “threatened” on the Massachusetts and federal endangered species lists.

Anyone with any information should contact Operation Game Thief online or at 1-800-344-4262.