Piping plovers watched at N.B. national park

Parks Canada scientists are trying different tactics to boost the population of endangered piping plovers in one of New Brunswick's national parks.

When the tiny shorebird arrives on the province's east coast in April, Parks Canada is hoping to have scores of volunteers waiting at Kouchibouguac National Park to protect the rare species. The number of piping plovers is slowly increasing everywhere in New Brunswick except at Kouchibouguac.

Deborah Austin, the species-at-risk co-ordinator for Parks Canada in the Atlantic region, said she is trying to figure out why the sparrow-sized birds are not populating in the area. So this year Austin is hoping to expand what's known as the plover guardian program.

For the first time volunteers are being asked to adopt a nest at Kouchibouguac National Park and spend some time educating others about the tiny shorebirds.

"That's the trick, is that they're incredibly charismatic, sweet little birds. But the best way to actually protect them and to provide effective protection is to remain at a distance from them," Austin said.

"So it's a bit of a tricky message but it's one that guardians can help deliver."

The piping plover protectors will spend afternoons on the park's beach with pamphlets informing people about the birds and recommend that they keep their distance.

The current estimate is that there are 460 eastern piping plovers.

Plover guardian programs are already operated by Nature N.B., a non-profit organization, and the Irving Eco-Centre in Bouctouche.

Austin said she hopes those programs will expand this year.

Monitoring birds

The federal government will also continue a project that monitors the birds' nests with remote cameras. Austin said it has already collected valuable footage of foxes and gulls stalking the nests and the plovers defending them.

"You'll see these little birds basically leave the nest to confront the predator and basically try to chase the gull off," Austin said. "We had no idea that they would be capable of doing so."

She suspects one reason the number of plovers is not increasing at the park is the prevalence of  predators, also including crows and ravens, which steal their eggs.

She said she hopes that expanding the number of nests being monitored and protected will enable the population of piping plovers at the park to finally start to rise.