1997 Provincial Piping Plover Breeding Census

by: Pam Mills
FALL 1998

Nova Scotia's coastline is strewn with many beaches, some several kilometres long, others simply small pockets of sheltered sand. These beaches are used by a variety of people for activities ranging from swimming and walking to kite flying and picnicking. They are also the primary breeding ground for the endangered piping plover.

The plight of this bird has been well documented. In Nova Scotia, their numbers are threatened by marginal habitat (since our beaches are usually narrow, short, and relatively exposed to the Atlantic Ocean's fierce weather systems), and by disturbances from humans. To help increase the nesting success of the plover, an annual census is carried out by the Department of Lands and Forestry, local interest groups, members of the Piping Plover Guardian Program, and field naturalists. The census allows conservation efforts to be focused on specific beaches during the most critical periods for breeding birds.

A total of 38 beaches across the province were surveyed during the 1997 piping plover breeding and nesting season 24 of these had one or more breeding plover pairs on them. This is comparable with the 1996 census, when 100 beaches were surveyed and 25 were found to have breeding pairs, and is a good indication that most potential breeding habitat is being covered in the survey. We feel that the numbers adequately represent the complete population count for this bird in Nova Scotia.

The improvement in the number of breeding plover pairs is indicative of the success of intensive conservation efforts. In these challenging times of cutbacks and increased responsibility, the involvement of many volunteers and private organizations has become critical. There is a continuing need for support, in the form of volunteers and material such as fencing and signage, from both the federal and provincial governments. With that support, we may be able to continue to increase the nesting success of our breeding piping plovers.

Piping Plover Survey Results
  • 1991 - 51 pairs
  • 1992 & 1993 (No census done)
  • 1994 - 38 pairs
  • 1995 - 35-36 pairs (Census takers were unsure if one set of plovers were in fact a breeding pair
  • 1996 - 34 pairs
  • 1997 - 44 pairs