Some rare birds are back in their summer home at Wasaga Beach, and there is a faithful group of volunteers making sure they are safe at one of the busiest beaches in the country.
Piping plovers are endangered. The tiny shorebirds nest in Wasaga Beach, where the shoreline and sandy beaches attract more than one million people each summer.
Human disturbances, habitat loss and predation are the top three reasons plovers are endangered. A fence keeps people away from the nesting birds, and the habitat has improved.
The plovers have been nesting here for eight consecutive seasons and there are signs that the measures being taken to protect them are making a difference.
Last year, nine plover chicks survived the summer and so far this year there are two nests with a total of eight eggs.
“The birds that are nesting here are chicks from previous seasons, several of them have nests and we hope to see the next generation here,” said Patricia Davidson, who coordinates a volunteer effort to monitor and protect the plovers.
The eggs are expected to hatch in mid-June.
“The eradication of species is just frightening so I saw an opportunity to make a tiny difference to have a species regenerated again and I love it,” said volunteer Fiona Ryner.
The park is seeking more volunteers to help keep an eye on the plovers this summer.
