Piping plover drop in Scarborough 'worrisome' (Printed Dec. 21, 2007)
By James V. Horrigan
Staff Writer
Last month, when the National Audubon Society released its annual “watchlist” of imperiled birds, the number of piping plovers in Maine had fallen to 35 pairs – down from 40 pairs in 2006 and 50 pairs in 2005 – the lowest level since 1994.
The same report, however, identifies the number of least terns in Maine had risen to approximately 150 nesting pairs, one of the highest levels recorded since the bird returned to Maine beaches 30 years ago.
Maine Audubon wildlife biologist Susan Gallo said that as far as Scarborough is concerned, the outlook for both protected species is slightly different.
“The piping plover drop is particularly worrisome just because it’s so drastic,” she said.
It’s good that the least tern numbers are up, Gallo said, but unlike piping plovers, least terns are a species where a greater variation is expected from year to year.
“They’re up over last year, but they’re not really up in the big picture. It’s nice that we’ve gone from 20 to 26, but we had those kinds of numbers back in ’97 and ’98,” she said.
Gallo said it isn’t a case of the terns nesting somewhere else; as beach-nesting birds that prefer spits by rivers or sandbars, there are only so many places in Maine they can go.
“We’re watching them; wherever they go in Maine we find them and count them,” Gallo said. “They can’t hide from us. The big thing about least terns is that they’re colonial nesters. Piping plovers are individual, so each pair has their own territory, but least terns do better in a large colony, where together they can fight off predators,” she said.
The year-to-year population of both species depends also upon weather and predators. Although some really high tides earlier this year ended up washing several plover nests out to sea, Gallo said it is important to realize that storms can also make an area more habitable.
“It depends upon what the storm is doing with the sand, where it’s being taken from and where it’s being deposited. In the case of the piping plover, you want sand deposited, you want to increase the width of the beach so when the high tide comes they’ll still have room,” she said.
In 2007, Western Beach between Ferry Beach and Black Point, had the highest productivity in the state.
“What that means is the number of chicks that hatch per nest,” said Scarborough resident Lucy LaCasse, a volunteer monitor at Western Beach.
Western Beach only had two pairs of piping plovers last summer, but they produced six chicks, for an average of three chicks per nest. Statewide, LaCasse said, average productivity was less than one chick per nest.
“It takes 28 days for the eggs to hatch,” LaCasse said. “Then it’s another 25 days until they can fly, so there’s almost two full months of vulnerability.”
Gallo said the big problems nesting plovers face come from both predators and people. Some predators, such as raccoons, coyotes, fox, crows and sea gulls are natural predators and efforts to protect the birds from attack only go so far, Gallo said.
Dogs are another issue; although regulations and the threat of penalties are enough to ensure that most owners maintain control of their pets on the beach, LaCasse and Gallo know that it is impossible to fully control both parties.
“Scarborough has worked on some dog ordinances but they’re not always followed,” Gallo said. “Persistent disturbance by even one dog over time is enough to cause nest failure.”
When that happens, the nest is often abandoned, even if the dogs do not actually destroy the eggs.
Scarborough prohibits dogs being off-leash at any time during the nesting season, from April to August, LaCasse said.
Most dog owners understand and respect the endangered birds’ habitat, and other volunteers make an effort to thank them for abiding by the rules, LaCasse said. But that’s not the case for everyone, she added.
“Some people were frankly quite rude,” she said, leading on occasion to the issuance of tickets by the town animal control officer, or representatives of Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife or U.S. Fish and Wildlife.
LaCasse said the Prout’s Neck Country Club deserves a lot of thanks for their involvement in the effort to protect the plovers and terns. The club’s golf course runs alongside Western Beach.
“They’re the ones who purchase the signs and help put up symbolic fencing around the nesting area,” she said.
Gallo said Maine Audubon is always looking for additional volunteers, which most often involves keeping the lines of communication open between the town, dog owners and residents.
“I wouldn’t want to put a volunteer in the position of chasing off dogs,” Gallo said. “But they can help make sure that people understand what the rules are and why they are there.”
LaCasse said it took some doing, but by mid-summer she saw clear progress on the issue.
”If there’s any point to be made it’s just to give a huge word of thanks to everybody who cooperated so much with keeping their dogs on leashes. We understand that it’s a real pill and a disruption to people’s patterns of dog walking, but it really does make a difference. We need everybody’s cooperation and understanding if we’re going to help protect these little guys,” LaCasse said.
Gallo said individuals who wish to volunteer should check out the volunteer advertisements at www.maineaudubon.org. As the nesting season draws near, ads will be posted where volunteers are needed, she said.
Staff Writer
Last month, when the National Audubon Society released its annual “watchlist” of imperiled birds, the number of piping plovers in Maine had fallen to 35 pairs – down from 40 pairs in 2006 and 50 pairs in 2005 – the lowest level since 1994.
The same report, however, identifies the number of least terns in Maine had risen to approximately 150 nesting pairs, one of the highest levels recorded since the bird returned to Maine beaches 30 years ago.
Maine Audubon wildlife biologist Susan Gallo said that as far as Scarborough is concerned, the outlook for both protected species is slightly different.
“The piping plover drop is particularly worrisome just because it’s so drastic,” she said.
It’s good that the least tern numbers are up, Gallo said, but unlike piping plovers, least terns are a species where a greater variation is expected from year to year.
“They’re up over last year, but they’re not really up in the big picture. It’s nice that we’ve gone from 20 to 26, but we had those kinds of numbers back in ’97 and ’98,” she said.
Gallo said it isn’t a case of the terns nesting somewhere else; as beach-nesting birds that prefer spits by rivers or sandbars, there are only so many places in Maine they can go.
“We’re watching them; wherever they go in Maine we find them and count them,” Gallo said. “They can’t hide from us. The big thing about least terns is that they’re colonial nesters. Piping plovers are individual, so each pair has their own territory, but least terns do better in a large colony, where together they can fight off predators,” she said.
The year-to-year population of both species depends also upon weather and predators. Although some really high tides earlier this year ended up washing several plover nests out to sea, Gallo said it is important to realize that storms can also make an area more habitable.
“It depends upon what the storm is doing with the sand, where it’s being taken from and where it’s being deposited. In the case of the piping plover, you want sand deposited, you want to increase the width of the beach so when the high tide comes they’ll still have room,” she said.
In 2007, Western Beach between Ferry Beach and Black Point, had the highest productivity in the state.
“What that means is the number of chicks that hatch per nest,” said Scarborough resident Lucy LaCasse, a volunteer monitor at Western Beach.
Western Beach only had two pairs of piping plovers last summer, but they produced six chicks, for an average of three chicks per nest. Statewide, LaCasse said, average productivity was less than one chick per nest.
“It takes 28 days for the eggs to hatch,” LaCasse said. “Then it’s another 25 days until they can fly, so there’s almost two full months of vulnerability.”
Gallo said the big problems nesting plovers face come from both predators and people. Some predators, such as raccoons, coyotes, fox, crows and sea gulls are natural predators and efforts to protect the birds from attack only go so far, Gallo said.
Dogs are another issue; although regulations and the threat of penalties are enough to ensure that most owners maintain control of their pets on the beach, LaCasse and Gallo know that it is impossible to fully control both parties.
“Scarborough has worked on some dog ordinances but they’re not always followed,” Gallo said. “Persistent disturbance by even one dog over time is enough to cause nest failure.”
When that happens, the nest is often abandoned, even if the dogs do not actually destroy the eggs.
Scarborough prohibits dogs being off-leash at any time during the nesting season, from April to August, LaCasse said.
Most dog owners understand and respect the endangered birds’ habitat, and other volunteers make an effort to thank them for abiding by the rules, LaCasse said. But that’s not the case for everyone, she added.
“Some people were frankly quite rude,” she said, leading on occasion to the issuance of tickets by the town animal control officer, or representatives of Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife or U.S. Fish and Wildlife.
LaCasse said the Prout’s Neck Country Club deserves a lot of thanks for their involvement in the effort to protect the plovers and terns. The club’s golf course runs alongside Western Beach.
“They’re the ones who purchase the signs and help put up symbolic fencing around the nesting area,” she said.
Gallo said Maine Audubon is always looking for additional volunteers, which most often involves keeping the lines of communication open between the town, dog owners and residents.
“I wouldn’t want to put a volunteer in the position of chasing off dogs,” Gallo said. “But they can help make sure that people understand what the rules are and why they are there.”
LaCasse said it took some doing, but by mid-summer she saw clear progress on the issue.
”If there’s any point to be made it’s just to give a huge word of thanks to everybody who cooperated so much with keeping their dogs on leashes. We understand that it’s a real pill and a disruption to people’s patterns of dog walking, but it really does make a difference. We need everybody’s cooperation and understanding if we’re going to help protect these little guys,” LaCasse said.
Gallo said individuals who wish to volunteer should check out the volunteer advertisements at www.maineaudubon.org. As the nesting season draws near, ads will be posted where volunteers are needed, she said.
Comments