Tashmoo Beach will be closed for about a month after a piping plover nest was found Monday on Herring Creek Road.

Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary director Suzan Bellincampi said the nest contains four eggs and is located along the side of Herring Creek Road just before the parking area. Federal and state laws mandate a 100-yard protective perimeter around plover nests; Ms. Bellincampi said closing the beach is the only way to abide by those rules.

A monitor from the sanctuary’s coastal water bird program will be assigned to check the nest daily or every other day, Ms. Bellincampi said.

Tisbury town administrator John Bugbee said the town has fenced off a 300-foot area immediately surrounding the nest.

Piping plovers are listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They nest in many coastal areas around the Vineyard.