Piping Plovers Nest at Presqu'ile

Nature Notes for June 24, 2016

Creating much excitement in the birding world, the Piping Plovers reported on in May did build a nest and lay eggs on the beach at Presqu’ile Provincial Park. This is the first confirmed nest of Piping Plovers at Presqu’ile in 100 years.

Piping Plovers used to nest throughout the Great Lakes basin. This population was almost extirpated by the mid-1980s. Due to conservation efforts in Michigan, the species did not disappear completely. It is from the Michigan population that pioneers have begun to repopulate Ontario’s beaches.

Prior to 2007, when a pair returned to nest at Sauble Beach, Piping Plovers last nested in Ontario on the Great Lakes in 1977. Historically, they nested at 24 locations on all Great Lakes in Ontario with perhaps 70 to 90 pairs. Each year since 2007, small numbers of Piping Plovers have returned to nest in the Ontario Great Lakes.

There are five nests at Wasaga Beach this year, one of the first locations in Ontario to which the birds returned. Two pairs of Piping Plovers are nesting at Darlington Provincial Park. These nests have already hatched.

As I write, there are 4 eggs in the nest at Presqu’ile. They should be hatching between June 27 and 29. Piping Plover chicks are “precocial”. That means that they are downy when hatched and can run around as soon after hatching as they dry off. (Think baby chicks, although much smaller.)  It will be about 30 days before they are able to fly.

The world is a very dangerous place for small birds, but especially so for Piping Plovers. They have very specific habitat needs for nesting: dry, sandy beaches, with a little cover so the chicks can hide from danger.

The need for sand beaches puts them in direct conflict with humans, who like to play on beaches. Only a strict protocol for protecting this highly endangered species has enabled them to nest in Ontario at all in recent years.

Building the "exclosure" for the Piping Plover nest at Presqu'ile.

Photo © David Bree

 Predators are a great danger. These include foxes, coyotes, raccoons and other mammals that might eat the eggs or chicks. Danger also comes from the sky in the form of gulls. At Presqu’ile, there is a large gull nesting colony on the off-shore islands. Visitors are encouraged not to feed the gulls that might come to the sand beach, as this might entice the gulls to visit the beach more often, so the risk of having a plover chick eaten is increased.

To protect the birds from these latter two threats, Canadian Wildlife Service biologists have erected a large “exclosure” around the nest area. The mesh is of a large enough size that the plovers can come and go, but too small to allow avian predators access. The one at Presqu’ile was erected in about 20 minutes and the plover parents immediately returned to the nest.

To protect the birds from humans, Presqu’ile Provincial Park is recruiting volunteers Guardians who will take shifts on the beach. The Guardians will keep a watch on the birds and educate park visitors about the birds and the reason for the “cage”. If any readers would like to volunteer as a Guardian, you can contact David Bree, Sr. Natural Heritage Education Leader at Presqu’ile Provincial Park at David.bree@ontario.ca

Another danger is weather. In 2015, a Piping Plover nest was initiated on the Hanlan’s Point Beach at the Toronto Islands. A bad storm flooded the nest and it was lost. One year, a chick at Wasaga Beach was killed by hail. This has led to the recommendation for little shelters to protect the chicks in case of inclement weather. There was some concern for the Presqu’ile nest in the storm that blew through last Sunday evening. However, David Bree reports that all is well.

In a time when so much of the news about our native birds is one of loss and decline, it is nice to be able to report on a species that seems to be recovering. However, 8 nests in Ontario is a long way from 90, the historical total, so the birds still need lots of protection. Perhaps next year, the unmated male Piping Plover that is still around at Presqu’ile will find a mate and this year’s pair will return.