Blue Jay, Vol.37, Issue 2

THE PIPING PLOVER IN SASKATCHEWAN: A STATUS REPORT WAYNE E. RENAUD, LGL Ltd. — environmental research associates, 4' Eglinton Ave. West, Toronto, Ontario M4R 1A1, GUY J. WAPPLE, Box 1153 Biggar, Saskatchewan SOK 0M0, and DURAND W. EDGETT, 628 Church St. Apt. 4, Toronto, Ontario M4Y 2G3. The Piping Plover is the only small Society’s “Blue List” of threatene* plover that breeds in a large area of species since its inception in 1972.3- southern Canada and the northern This paper briefly summarizes th< United States. Its breeding range is species’ status in Canada, anc divided, probably by habitat brings together all existing infor availability, into three areas: the mation on its occurrence in Saskaf; Atlantic coast from Virginia to chewan. Newfoundland, the Great Lakes, and the western plains from central Status in Canada Alberta and Manitoba to Nebraska.2 Declines since the 1930’s havo The Piping Plover nests in a variety been most severe along the Grea of habitats including ocean beaches, Lakes. In the late 1800’s and earl sand dunes, river bars, and the 1900’s, Piping Plovers nested alonr shores of lakes, alkaline sloughs and the Canadian shorelines fron reservoirs. Kingston to the Bruce Peninsula.2 During the past 100 years, the The largest breeding population wa Piping Plover has experienced apparently at Long Point, a 29-km population declines over a large por¬ long peninsula on the north shore a tion of its range. In the late 1800’s, Lake Erie. Snyder estimated that a spring hunting in New England least 100 pairs nested there in 193CI greatly reduced the numbers of and Sheppard counted up to 5( Piping Plovers breeding along the adults in one day during Jul; Atlantic coast.11 This practice had 1935.40 39 Numbers at Long Poin! largely ceased by the early 1900’s, declined during the 1960’s am and their numbers slowly increased. 1970’s.1523 In 1977 only one pai: The effect of spring hunting on the nested (Gary Miller, pers. comm.)t western population is not known, but and in 1978 no nests were foum) was probably small, since most Great during systematic surveys by Lorn Plains breeders apparently migrate Point Bird Observatory personne through the Central Flyway from win¬ (Ann Lambert and Erica Nol, pers tering areas along the Gulf Coast.32 comm.). Long Point was the las In the New England States, the location along the Great Lake; Canadian Maritimes and along the where Piping Plovers were known tc| Great Lakes, a second decline have nested. In the adjacent Unitec became evident by the 1960’s and States, small numbers still nest alone 1970’s. The Piping Plover has been the Great Lakes in Minnesota,23 4: included on the National Audubon Wisconsin,43 and Michigan.33 90 Blue Ja' Declines in the Canadian Great The Great Plains population is the _akes population have been least known, although its ap¬ generally attributed to summer cot- proximate range has been well- age development and recreation.16 defined for several decades.2 19 37 However, at Long Point human No published population estimates jisturbance is confined to a small are available for Manitoba, Saskat¬ area even during the summer. Brad- chewan or Alberta. In Manitoba, jtreet et at. and Gary Miller (pers. Piping Plovers nest most regularly on ;omm.) suggest that rising lake the extensive sandy beaches and evels and associated habitat islands of Lakes Manitoba, Winnipeg jestruction may, in part, account for and Winnipegosis and at Shoal Lake he observed decline.12 Another east of Woodlands (Herb Copland, possible factor is greater predation pers. comm.). In Alberta, Piping :rom a four-fold increase in the Plovers have been recorded nesting lumbers of summering gulls26 on eight lakes28; population Michael Bradstreet and Chip estimates are available only for Aleseloh, pers. comm.). Dowling Lake, which was completely censused in 1977 by Chip Weseloh In the Maritime Provinces, Piping (pers. comm., report in prep.). Plovers are still common on a few isolated beaches. In 1975 and 1976, In Saskatchewan, little quantitative Cairns studied a population of 27 to information has been published >9 pairs on a 1.6-km-long spit in since Piping Plovers were first repor¬ southern Nova Scotia.16 However, ted at Deep Lake near Indian Head in the total population of Newfound¬ 1892.29 Up to 1973, nesting had been land, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward suspected or verified at 20 sland, the Magdalen Islands, and localities34, but until 1978 no sastern Quebec is thought to number population estimates were available only 300 to 350 breeding pairs (Win- for any of these locations. lifred Cairns and Ian McLaren, pers. :omm.). None now nest on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence A Survey of the Quill Lakes Cairns and McLaren, pers. comm.) )r on the Gaspe Peninsula (D. David In June 1978, we undertook a sur¬ n Arbib 1976). The species also no vey of part of the Quill Lakes onger nests on Sable Island where (51°53'N, 104°15'W) in south-central ^/lacoun and Macoun found them Saskatchewan. This area was chosen common at the turn of the cen¬ for two reasons: 1) it contains one of tury.13 29 The decline along the Atlan¬ the largest, if not the largest, tic coast is believed to be the result breeding populations of Piping of many factors including 1) Plovers in the province, and 2) some recreational disturbance on beaches, quantitative information on the 2) greater predation by several species’ status is available for 1909.17 species of animals, including gulls, While on a collecting expedition for crows, foxes and racoons all of the Field Museum of Natural History which have increased as result of in Chicago, John F. Ferry spent 9 human influence, and 3) fluctuations June to 11 August 1909 exploring the in the amount of beach habitat Quill Lakes. He listed the Piping available due to instability of the Plover as “common” and dynamic dune and barrier beach “distributed along the south shore of systems (Cairns and McLaren, pers. [Big] Quill Lake in the proportion of comm.). about one pair of birds to the mile.’ lune, 1979. 37(2) 91 indicates location of 5 adults, and nest 'G' (as given below map) " r|i| areas surveyed for MIDDLE ^ Piping Plover QUILL sparsely-vegetated mudflats and beaches SHORE NESTS AND BROODS (N=nesf,B=brood, e=egg<y=young) A-Bly E -Bly 1 - Bly M- B4y Q-N5e B - B1 y F - B2y J - Bly N- B2y R - N1e,2y C -Bly G - N4e K- Bly 0 - N4e S - N3e D - B2y H - N4e L- B3y P-N4e T - Nle _____ ^ Figure 1: Distribution of Piping Plover adults, broods and nests at the Quill Lakes Saskatchewan, June 19-21, 1978. METHODS: On 19, 20 and 21 June islands in Middle Quill Lake, and 1978 we walked 2.9 km (1.8 mi) of walked 40.5 km (25.3 mi) of shoreline shoreline and, in addition, surveyed 8 along Big Quill Lake (Fig. 1). 92 Blue Jay Shoreline positions were mapped displaying. Nothing that appeared to and lengths were measured from be a non-breeding flock was obser¬ aerial photographs taken in 1966* ved. The largest group consisted of when levels appeared to be similar to six adults and three chicks (Fig. 1 — 1978. One or two observers on foot brood ‘L’). All other broods were ac¬ followed the shoreline, and stopped companied by one or two adults. at intervals to listen and scan with Most chicks were estimated to have jinoculars. In some areas where un- been from 7 to 10 days old. /egetated mudflats extended for DISCUSSION: The density of Piping nore than V2 km from the shoreline Plovers along the south shore of Big we made attempts to survey adjacent Quill Lake in 1978 was about one pair areas, hence the observations of per mile of shoreline, similar to that some plovers up to 800 m from the reported by Ferry in 1909. Ferry’s shoreline proper. However, because figure was an approximation, not an }f time constraints most of our time actual census, but we can probably /vas spent surveying the area im- conclude that no great change in nediately adjacent to the shoreline, numbers has occurred along the and some adults were probably south shore during the past 69 years. nissed. Since our main objective The water level of the Quill Lakes was to determine the size of the adult has dropped substantially since 1909 aopulation, minimal time was spent (see Wynyard 72P/16 map sheet; ooking for nests and broods and nany of these were undoubtedly 1:50,000 scale for shoreline fluc¬ tuations); probably the greatest nissed. change since that time occurred RESULTS: The numbers of adults, during the drought of the 1930’s. This aroods and nests located are given drop in water level appears to have n Figure 1; the numbers of adults are had little effect on the position of the summarized in Table 1. Notes on south shore which has a relatively )ther species appear in the Appen- steep shoreline gradient. However, iix. along most other shorelines on Big We observed 145 adults, 8 nests Quill Lake, the land/water interface md 12 broods. Adult densities has retreated from 1 to 5 km, ex¬ iveraged 1.3 per linear km (2.1 /Iin posing large, sparsely-vegetated, ii) of shoreline along the south alkaline flats. Possibly, the newly- ihore, and 4.6 per tin km (7.4/lin mi) exposed mudflats now provide more ilong the east shore of Big Quill favourable Piping Plover habitat than .ake (see Fig.

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