Staff Writer

 Wildlife officials are reminding people to give piping plovers plenty of room to roam after four chicks died recently killed on southern Maine beaches.

Piping plovers are federally threatened and state endangered birds that nest and feed on sandy beaches on the Atlantic coast. The small sand-colored, sparrow-sized birds nest on beaches from Ogunquit to Georgetown. There currently are 33 nesting pairs in Maine.

Trash barrels were removed from a section of Old Orchard Beach and the area roped off after two chicks were spotted there July 1. The birds were born in Pine Point in Scarborough and moved down to a relatively uncrowded section of Old Orchard Beach east of the Pier.

Laura Zitske, director of the Maine Audubon’s Piping Plover and Least Tern Project, said chicks were found dead on Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport and Hills Beach in Biddeford.

The two chicks found at Goose Rocks were sent to a lab in Wisconsin for necropsies. They were discovered with some physical injuries, Zitske said.

Officials continue to investigate the deaths of two chicks found at Hills Beach. Zitske said it appears a pair of adults abandoned their nest at hatching, which is unusual. She said investigators believe “a human influenced the abandonment by partying on the beach during the Fourth of July weekend.”

Judy Camuso, wildlife biologist with Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said wardens work with U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents to investigate any deaths that appear intentional. She said “substantial” federal fines can be imposed, but no one has been fined in Maine.

Camuso said wildlife officials have a “reasonable idea” of what happened to the chicks in Biddeford.

“From what we can tell so far, it appears the stake and twine was taken down in that area,” she said.

Camuso said people often are curious about piping plovers and get too close to nests. That causes the birds to panic and abandon their nest. The chicks in Biddeford died of exposure.

Sally Stockwell, director of conservation for Maine Audubon, said the piping plover project has worked to protect piping plovers for more than 25 years. The number of breeding pairs has slowly increased to 30 in 2010. There were 49 fledglings last year.

Zitske said the piping plover population has grown since the 1980s. There was a sudden drop in breeding pairs after a high of 66 pairs in 2002, but the number has slowly increased in the past three years, she said.

The birds return to Maine in early April and lay eggs by early May. When volunteer spotters locate nests, wildlife officials put up wire “exclosures” to discourage predators from reaching the nest. They also put up stake and twine fencing to keep people and pets away from the area.

“That has really helped the birds bring back their numbers,” Zitske said.

Zitske said piping plover chicks are especially vulnerable to predators and accidental death because they start running around the beach immediately after they hatch. The small birds’ color makes them extremely difficult to see. In addition to the threat of predators, they can fall into holes dug by beachgoers or tracks from vehicles on the beach, she said. 

Wildlife officials agree beach management agreements with municipalities and cooperation of more than 100 private landowners have contributed to the recent increase in the number of breeding piping plovers. Stockwell said education also has brought more attention to efforts to protect the bird.

“These birds are trying to nest in a place that is incredibly busy in the summer. It’s important to educate people so they don’t attract predators and interrupt the plovers,” she said. “We work very hard to let people know what the birds need and how they can enjoy the beach at the same time as the birds.”

Maine Audubon periodically sets up a tent at busy beaches as part of its education effort. Zitske said staff members and volunteers talk to beachgoers about the birds and explain how activities such as flying kites can cause the birds stress. They also play games with children and hand out piping plover temporary tattoos.

“When people aren’t aware of the birds and how their actions interfere with the birds it can directly or indirectly kill (the piping plovers),” Zitske said. “Education is one of the most powerful tools we have to protect them.”

Liz Copeland, manager of Extreme Clean, the company that contracts to remove trash in Old Orchard Beach, said her son discovered piping plover chicks July 1 on the beach near Danton Towers. They immediately called town officials, who notified state officials about the birds.

Under a beach management agreement signed last October by town officials, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Maine Audubon, trash barrels were immediately removed from the area. An Extreme Clean employee checks the beach for piping plovers each morning and a spotter walks in front of town crews raking the beach. 

Copeland said she saw a piping plover for the first time this year.

“Basically, you look for moving sand,” she said. “They are so cute. Once you see a live one, you’re in love.”

Bill Robertson, director of Old Orchard Beach Public Works, said two of his employees also spotted the chicks on the beach and notified Maine Audubon. He said they stopped a young girl from chasing the chicks around the beach.

Roberston said the town has received “a lot of complaints” about the removal of the trash barrels and of trash being left on the beach. He said he explains to people that everyone needs to do their part to protect the birds by carrying their own trash off the beach.

Camuso, the wildlife biologist, said she reminds beachgoers to leave their pets at home, clean up trash so it does not attract predators and give the birds plenty of space to run around. She said she understands the temptation to pick up a piping plover chicks because they are “very cute and look like little cotton balls on sticks.”

Camuso said it is important for people to understand why others work so hard to protect piping plovers. There are 1,500 pairs worldwide and 33 in Maine.

“The entire population is so small,” she said. “It’s important to do our part to recover the species.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.