The plovers are only a week or two away from arrival and we have many unanswered questions. Did last year's Gulf Coast oil spill have any effect on the wintering range of the plovers? How has last fall's devastating storm or 'Weather Bomb' effected the beaches and nesting habitat for our returning birds? Will any of the three chicks we banded last July, return? Will any of the eight we banded in 2009 return and will the one that showed up in Grand Marais, Michigan last year return there or turn up elsewhere? As this is an 'International Census' year, conducted every fifth year since 1991, will the North American population be up, down or about the same as 2006? The answers to all these questions should come to light over the course of the summer and I hope to bring you those answers as soon as they become evident and available.
Last, if in your travels and explorations you identify a plover or discover a nest, the Recovery Team would like to be informed immediately. Please call the Manitoba Piping Plover Stewardship Program at 204-945-6817. Thank you.
Ken Porteous
2011 Piping Plover Guardian
