The 2004 breeding season was another record year for piping plovers nesting in the Great Lakes. Fifty-five breeding pairs were recorded, a 10 percent increase in the population from 2003.
The federally endangered Great Lakes piping plover is now one-third of the way to the recovery goal of 150 pairs. Although harsh spring weather and predators contributed to poor nesting success at some sites, the total number of young fledged (when young can fly and leave the nest) was a record 93 birds. Many young hatched in the Great Lakes in 2002 and 2003 returned this year to breed. Despite these increases, however, the species remains one of the most endangered in the Great Lakes.
Plovers also continued to expand their breeding range this year, with pairs selecting nest sites at locations previously unoccupied. Plovers were recorded breeding along the shorelines on Lakes Superior and Michigan, while several non-breeding and migrating individuals were observed on these two lakes and on Lakes Huron and Erie.
Jack Dingledine of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in East Lansing, Mich., said that the success of this year’s nesting season can be attributed to the efforts of resource managers, researchers, stewards and volunteers who provided important information and helped protect nests from disturbance over the summer. Staff from various federal and state agencies, along with researchers from the University of Minnesota and monitors from Lake Superior State University spent significant amounts of time in the field to monitor and protect nesting plovers. Volunteers from around the state of Michigan also came out in good numbers to aid in the recovery effort.
“ Their work is invaluable - helping us locate and monitor nests as well as protecting nests, eggs, and chicks from harm,” Dingledine said.
Successful piping plover recovery requires participation from many state, federal and tribal interests. The National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Canadian Wildlife Service and Michigan’s tribal community partner with the Service to work toward recovery. In addition, members of the American Zoological Association, and in particular, the Detroit Zoo, provided considerable contributions to the on-going salvage captive rearing program. This year members from nine different zoos in the United States came to Michigan to assist in recovery efforts.
Many Great Lakes piping plovers have already been spotted on their wintering grounds in Florida, Georgia and other Gulf and Atlantic Coast states, joining plover populations from the Atlantic Coast and Great Plains. As the birds head south, the Service is asking birdwatchers and others to report any sightings of piping plovers, especially plovers with colored leg bands.
" We encourage people to be on the lookout for piping plovers, and we are especially interested in birds with color bands," Dingledine said. "However, we urge people not to harass the birds to get a closer look at a band."
Anyone who spots a piping plover can contact Dingledine at Jack_Dingledine@fws.gov">, or Jennifer Stucker at the University of Minnesota, 612-624-1202 or jstucker@umn.edu. Information about the piping plover and the color bands is available at the University of Minnesota’s website at http://www.waterbirds.umn.edu/pip_banded.htm.
For more information on piping plovers and how to help them, visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s website at http://midwest.fws.gov/endangered/piping plover.
Piping plovers once nested on the wide beaches of sand and cobble along the shores of all the Great Lakes. However, because of habitat loss to development and other activities, plovers are now limited primarily to undisturbed shorelines in Michigan and Wisconsin, although they may be spotted in other areas in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Canada during migration. The species was listed as endangered in 1986. Recovery efforts focus on maintaining suitable habitat in Great Lakes states in hopes of attracting breeding pairs.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
