2017 Season Update

2017 SEASON UPDATE
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Our 2017 Wasaga Beach Warrior, the one surviving chick

Every year brings different successes and challenges to the Piping Plover recovery program at Wasaga Beach. The summer of 2016 was unique in its grand success of 14 fledged chicks. The current survival to date of one chicks is still a great accomplishment this year as it was only 11 years ago that the Great Lakes Piping Plover population was extirpated from (or no longer found in) Ontario as a breeding species. It is critical to look at the big picture as our Wasaga Beach chicks, which we refer to as our alumni, are establishing new nesting sites across Ontario.

Focusing on successes, Ontario has fledged (as of July 13th) 13 chicks from five nesting sites across the province.  The number may increase with the imminent hatch of the Darlington brood.  

Wasaga Beach - 1 chick

North Beach - 1 chick

Darlington - 4 eggs (hatch July 15-16th weekend)

Sauble Beach - 7 chicks

Limestone Nature Reserve - 4 chicks

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A Season in Review

2017 adult in Ploverland.  Photo credit: Neal Mutig

We started off the season with three pairs of Piping Plovers, all of which were returning from the 2016 season.  The first pair to lay eggs lost their entire clutch to hungry crows just hours before we could install the predator exclosure.  Thankfully they quickly renested and we were able to use a mini-exclosure to help protect the clutch before the larger exclosure could be installed.  The pattern in which the four eggs were laid was not the usual "every other day" pattern so it was not a surprise when only two eggs hatched.

The second pair nested within twenty feet of the shoreline but it wasn't rising water levels that hindered their success.  Rather the female was predated mid-way through the season by what we suspect was a Merlin --a small but mighty falcon.  Without a partner to help incubate the clutch, the male had no other option to abandon the eggs a few days following his mate's disappearance.  

The boardwalk redesign, 50 meters around the nest

The third pair decided to throw a monkey wrench in Ploverland by nesting on the opposite side of the boardwalk.  In order to follow the obligatory 50 meter mandate for the size of perimeter fence established by Piping Plover Recovery Plan, we had to temporarily close off less than 200 feet of the boardwalk until the chicks hatched 26 days later.  Despite concerns that the chick would not be able to access the shoreline due to structural challenges with the boardwalk, all four chicks managed to find their way off of the boardwalk within 36 hours of hatching.  

On several occasions, volunteers and members of the public witnessed a Merlin pick off our chicks one by one.  Within a few short weeks, our count went from six robust chicks down to one lone survivor.  Despite this loss, our crew continued to look at the bigger picture as province wide, the Piping Plovers continue to make leaps and bounds.  

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2016 HIGHLIGHTS

Photo credit: Ontario Parks

After 9 years, we had a remarkable season with a record total of 5 nests resulting in 14 chicks (out of 19 hatched eggs).  What more, we were excited to see that our 2015 alumni are establishing NEW nesting sites throughout Ontario.  Darlington Provincial Park, Presqu'ile Provincial Park, and Limestone Islands (Georgian Bay) all welcomed their first Piping Plover nest at their site (WAHOO!). 

It is truly a sign that our Recovery Program is successful when chicks hatched at our site are now establishing new nesting sites throughout the province.