Press Releases

June 30, 2008

Endangered Piping Plovers Now at All-Time Low;
Beachgoers and Their Pets Urged to Stay Far Away from Nests on Maine Beaches

Augusta – The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is urging beachgoers -- and their pets -- to stay away from the nests of Piping Plovers that are gracing a few beaches in southern Maine.

Piping Plovers are an endangered shorebird whose nesting success is at an all-time low. They were listed on the state’s Endangered Species List in 1997, and were federally listed as Threatened Species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1986.

Piping Plover

Piping Plovers are small, pale shorebirds whose sandy brown and white colorings act as camouflage to protect it from predators. Unfortunately, because their camouflage works so well, many people and their pets do not see them or their sand-colored eggs. Subsequently, nests and eggs can be easily and inadvertently destroyed.

Piping Plovers are approximately 7.5 inches high and weigh up to 2.5 ounces. They have long yellow legs, short necks, and a broken brown or black necklace band on their chest.

“These birds nest on some of the most beautiful – and populated – sandy beaches in southern Maine,” said IF&W Wildlife Biologist Judy Camuso. “People are drawn to these beaches, and many of them take their pets along with them. We ask that they do not go near or disturb the plovers’ nests. Let’s enjoy the beaches and protect an endangered species at the same time.”

Currently the state only has 19 nesting pairs of Piping Plovers, an all-time low. In 2002, there were 66 pairs on coastal beaches statewide. Plovers are nesting or with broods on Wells Beach, Parsons Beach, Goose Rocks Beach, Goose Fare Brook, Western Beach, Scarborough Beach, and Reid State Park. The count recently was completed in cooperation with the Maine Audubon.

“This sharp decline is a result of the loss of beach habitat from recent severe spring storms, coupled with predation on adult eggs and chicks by dogs, cats, gulls, crows, fox, skunks, mink and other animals,” said IF&W Wildlife Biologist Lindsay Tudor. “If we are to retain this bird in Maine, we have to protect every nest and brood as best we can.”

From a plover’s point of view, people and dogs are predators. If beachgoers or their dogs are too close to plovers and their chicks, the adults will attempt to draw away the danger. Unfortunately, chicks left alone are easy prey for crows and gulls lurking nearby, Tudor said.

“Plovers do not understand leashes and dogs under voice control, and they do not recognize ‘dogs that would never touch a bird,’” Tudor said. “Plovers perceive all dogs and people as potential predators.”

To protect our last few endangered Piping Plovers, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, along with its partner, Maine Audubon, are urging beachcombers to:

Avoid taking their dogs to beaches that currently have nesting Piping Plovers.

Be on the lookout for the tiny Piping Plover chicks. Once they hatch, they leave the nest (designated with signs and stake-and-twine fencing), and are extremely vulnerable to a host of predators. Chicks are flightless for 25-35 days, feeding themselves in the company of their parents.

Stay away from the stake-and-twine fencing identifying protective nesting areas. If you want to observe the Piping Plovers, do so from a great distance with high-powered binoculars.

DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

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