Endangered piping plovers return to Maine with beach restrictions in place
Piping plovers are endangered sandy-colored shore birds that are found along much of the East Coast.
They’re back in Maine which means restrictions are in place along many of our beaches.
“They’re charismatic little guys, we’re lucky that their chicks are very cute, which I think is part of what attracts people to the birds. But also what’s powerful to me is the things we do to protect piping plovers, ultimately are protecting the beaches,” says Laura Minich Zitske, the Director of Maine Audubon’s Coastal Birds Project
Piping plovers nest along sandy beaches from North Carolina up through Canada, which is why it’s important to have restrictions in place to continue growing the population of these plovers.
“Depending on what community you’re in and what beach you are dealing with, there are often restrictions in terms of dogs in particular that come into effect this time of year,” said Laura.
Over the decades of restrictions, there’s been a great deal of success.
“Piping plover population in Maine has increased since we began monitoring in 1981. So, we had 143 nesting pairs last year, which is still obviously not a huge number of birds when you think about it, but it is a great success for us since we started with about 10 pairs,” said Laura.
They lay four eggs right on the sand, and it takes around 28 days for the chicks to hatch—thankfully, there are volunteers to watch over them.
“They need some help in protecting themselves. And all of a sudden, that protection lasts for about a month or two while they grow up, and by July and August, off they go,” said volunteer Bill Donovan.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, you can head to the Maine Audubon website.
