Endangered piping plovers have returned to P.E.I. for another breeding season

As endangered piping plovers return to P.E.I. for another nesting season, there are simple things Islanders can do to help protect these tiny beach birds.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada has listed the piping plover as endangered since 1985.

Jenna Cahill, coastal project manager at Island Nature Trust, said the birds usually leave P.E.I. in late August for warmer winter locations like the southern U.S. or the Bahamas and return in April.

This year, the first piping plover on P.E.I. was spotted on April 15 at Thunder Cove.

Cahill said fewer than 60 of these birds are typically seen on the Island each year, with the low numbers mostly due to human disturbance. Here on P.E.I., people going to the beach can encroach on the space the birds need to raise their young.

"They're very sensitive to disturbances, so even if you know they're not being directly trampled on or whatever, even if you just disturb them while they're feeding, because they have such long migrations, just that extra energy expenditure can decrease the likelihood that they can make those long migrations," Cahill told CBC News.

Simple steps to help

Cahill said piping plovers are classified as a conservation-dependent species, meaning they would become extinct without ongoing conservation efforts.

Thanks to efforts on P.E.I. by Parks Canada and the Island Nature Trust, plover numbers have been holding relatively steady in recent years, she said. But Islanders still have an important role to play.

"The biggest thing we can do is just be mindful ... If there are signs up, just know that there are plovers presents and you're probably not going to be able to see them," she said.

"Keep your dog on a leash, because even if you can't see them, your dog probably can. And it's not a lot of work for a dog to chase after a plover."

Another tip: Walk on wet sand when you're at the beach.

"They usually nest in the dry sand, and their nests are very, very well camouflaged as well. So if you just walk on the wet sand, you're kind of reducing the chance that you could accidentally step on a nest or on a bird," Cahill said.

She added that piping plovers often prefer wide sandy beaches along P.E.I.'s North Shore.

Get involved to help survey

Islanders can also help by joining the Coastal Guardian program run by Island Nature Trust.

Volunteers can sign up to help survey beaches and coastal ecosystems across P.E.I. for species at risk and monitor ecosystem health.

There are two streams that people can take, surveying for either bank swallows or piping plovers, based on their interest, training level and location, Cahill said.

For those living near beaches where piping plovers are often seen, volunteers are asked to go out about once a week.

"They will survey for piping plover and basically just provide us with updates as to what they're doing, and talk to the public and spread the word," said Cahill.

Islanders interested in becoming a Coastal Guardian can call or email Island Nature Trust to sign up.