Much like the recent piping plover egg that appeared out of nowhere, in a dangerous area in the shadow of the lighthouse, a beautiful, young bird named Trohman did something similar back in 2022. When Trohman and her unbanded mate were first discovered that summer, she was actually, literally, in the middle of laying her first egg!
And it too, unfortunately, was laid outside the fenced safety of Plover Park and would have surely been stepped on or run over within the first day, had it not been for the collective, creative genius of New Jersey Fish & Wildlife who were able to bump the fence just enough to give her some protection.
Still, it was so close to the fence that when Kashi Davis saw Trohman’s nest for the first time, she left a note in NestStory reading “it will be a miracle if this nest makes it.”
Well, that nest did make it. Maybe it was a miracle, but also maybe it was the extra effort everyone made to protect this nest. Because not only was mom Trohman one of the palest, most beautiful piping plovers you’ve ever seen, but she was one of our own. She had hatched in the park the year before to Stacy and his beauty-queen mate, Tatiania.
And also like the recent nest that appeared out of nowhere under the lighthouse, the nest had only three eggs instead of the normal four.
As the hatched approached, we were all pretty excited. There was no doubt we would be banding these miracle babies. Kashi quickly pitched three very special names for this very special brood; El Toro Loco, Petrie, and Mama Hoo Hoo.
These names meant something very special to her, because they were all related to her adorable nephew Reece. And since Reece is the one thing in the world she gets more giddy about than piping plovers, there was no way I would be attempting to veto these suggestions.
And besides, Mama Hoo Hoo is one of the best piping plover names I’d ever heard. It was a done deal.
But sadly, Trohman would lose one of the three babies on the very first night. By the time the crew came up to band the next day, there were only two left.
Saddened by this loss, I was off my game and I wasn’t paying attention, and the two remaining babies were named El Toro Loco and Petrie.
It wasn’t until a few weeks later when a random chick banded at Corsons Inlet was named Mama Hoo Hoo that I realized what happened. I was furious.
Mama Hoo Hoo was supposed to be one of ours.
And I became even more annoyed and furious every time I heard her name from that day forward. Because, as it turned out, Mama Hoo Hoo not only survived, but she really got around. She showed up and attempted to nest on beaches all over New Jersey. And every place she showed up, the monitors there became completely and unabashedly smitten. Everywhere, everyone… “Oh, Mama Hoo Hoo is my favorite bird!” Furious!
But over time, my anger softened towards her because, put simply, she has had an awful life. It’s like a black cloud has followed her all over the state.
And it’s not for lack of trying. She has laid multiple nests, in multiple seasons, with multiple mates, and no matter what, it has always ended in tears for Mama Hoo Hoo, her many mates, and everyone who has biased her, which is basically everyone who has ever encountered her.
Well, now is our chance to make this right. Because the mystery bird who dropped that egg under the Lighthouse, creating the record breaking 13th nest of the season, featured in the Reading How’s this for Breaking News: Diverse LBI heroes unite around record breaking 13th nest in Barnegat Light, was none other than Mama Hoo Hoo!
She’s continued her sad losing streak in 2026 after she lost a nest in Island Beach State Park, so she must have panicked and flew across the inlet, home to Barnegat Light, where she laid the three eggs under the lighthouse.
Determined to make this right, I dropped everything and designed and printed an informational poster which is now on display around her nest in the park. I gave her extra cams so we could keep a close eye on her. I made her a web site documenting her sad history. I even got her, her own domain name, mamahoohoo.org!
And as of this morning, her nest is hatching. We are getting there, but there is still a long way to go. Somehow she is going to need to find a safe place to bring those chicks, and a safe way to get there.
I’ll be posting some clips of the hatch over at mamahoohoo.org as it unfolds today, so you can visit there and follow along.
And if you happen to visit the park over the next few days, keep a close eye out for her and her babies. They are going to need a lot of space, and they are trapped right there on the busiest part of the beach. If you see any dogs, kites, drones, or other hazards, do what you can to notify the park authorities and get them out of there.
I’ve been waiting for Mama Hoo Hoo to come home where she belongs for as long as she’s been trying to become a real mama. This is our chance to, finally, make this right!
Say something kind