Piping Plovers are small, endangered shorebirds in Manitoba. Its call is described as a "plaintive peep-lo" which made it the perfect name for this blog as it too is a plaintive call, a Call to Action.

21 June 2010

Triplets!

I am pleased to announce that the first nest at Grand Beach has produced a set of triplets. Hatching began Saturday, June 19 and by Sunday afternoon three cotton balls on toothpicks were scurrying around parking lot #5. Unfortunately, one egg has not hatched although both adult birds continue to take turns incubating and attending to the three chicks. By Sunday evening they had crossed the 'Lawrence of Arabia' sand dunes and settled nicely on the beach. When I returned for my morning shift at 4:30 AM, yes you read that correctly 4:30, just me and a gazillion mosquitoes, mom was on the nest and I found dad on the beach with the wee ones nestled under him. This parking lot in Grand Beach Provincial Park has been a mainstay of the program for over a decade and although in recent years not all eggs have hatched successfully, two or three birds have reached the fledgling stage. We are hopeful another three chicks will make the long trek south in August to their wintering grounds along the Gulf Coast.

KP