Fans of endangered piping plovers plead for protection during breeding season
11 breeding pairs seen in national park last year; 22 chicks hatched and 17 fledged
Signs are now posted marking the first temporary beach closures of the season as endangered piping plovers return to Prince Edward Island for another nesting season.
But a species at risk expert who has been advocating for the tiny beach birds for 20 years says more must be done to give them the room they need to grow their numbers.
The Committee on the Status of Wildlife in Canada has listed the piping plover as endangered since 1985.
Shannon Mader said there are about 20 breeding pairs in relatively unprotected areas outside the national park borders, down from about 60 when she first started her job two decades ago.
"We're always hoping to see a lot of plover come back. We're hoping to see numbers increase, but of course that hasn't been the trend in recent years," said Mader, manager of species at risk programs at Island Nature Trust.
"It has been a steady downward trend in terms of the population during that time — just as it's been, sadly, a steady downward trend for most of our bird species.
"What we're really hoping to see is people adjusting their behaviour, to make space for piping plover and other shore birds," Mader said.
"[We're] still seeing a lot of people with loose dogs running on beaches. We would like to see people not driving their ATVs on beaches, and generally just respecting signage in any natural area."
Changing attitudes
Mader said the piping plover population is rebounding in other parts of North America, including Nova Scotia.
She said plover protectors on P.E.I. are taking all of the same measures, but are still waiting to see the numbers turn around. There is some reason to be hopeful, though.
"I think we are seeing a change in terms of public perception. Generally we're all a lot more aware of native wildlife, the need for us to care for the environment in general," Mader said.
"I certainly hope that trend keeps moving in the right direction."
Mader said she feels a personal connection to the fate of the piping plovers.
"They're a pretty hard species not to love," she said. "If you take some time to just watch them, and watch how they interact with one another, and how they raise their young, they're a pretty special bird."
Beaches closed
There are currently two temporary closures of beaches in the P.E.I. National Park on the Island's North Shore: Cavendish Sandspit was closed as of April 18 and Shaw's Beach, near Brackley, was restricted on April 26.
Lily McLaine, resource management officer for Parks Canada, said the Cavendish beach has been a historical nesting habitat for many years, so it was closed even before the birds arrived for the season.
"In order to give these migratory birds a bird-friendly welcome back to the park, one of our monitoring projects is to close down these sections of the beaches temporarily throughout their spring migratory season — to give them a nice open space for them to feel protected and recover after a long journey up to P.E.I.," McLaine said.
Some of these breeding behaviours may include piping plovers making scrapes, which are essentially dents in the sand that can be used later for nesting. Goose-stepping is kind of like what it looks like.—Lily McLaine, Parks Canada
McLaine said pairs have been seen in the area already this season, and breeding actions have been observed.
"Some of these breeding behaviours may include piping plovers making scrapes, which are essentially dents in the sand that can be used later for nesting.
"Goose-stepping is kind of like what it looks like," McLaine said. "They will march to one another, specifically the males that are trying to attract the female piping plovers. So it's a really cool behaviour to see."
McLaine said it typically takes two to six days for a female to lay all four of the pair's eggs for the year, and about 26 days for incubation.
She said upon hatching, it takes about 20 to 25 days for the new chicks to fully fledge, becoming juvenile plovers able to make their journey back south for the winter.
"We have about seven piping plovers that have been reported along this beach, and we expect to see more as the season progresses," McLaine said. "So it'll be very exciting to see how this season plays out."
McLaine said the target in the P.E.I. National Park is to have upwards of 15 breeding pairs in total, as well as a fledging rate of 1.65 chicks per nest.
That would be the number of pairs that have been reported and monitored at length by staff throughout the park, with the rate representing the proportion of successful fledglings and juveniles each year.
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