Hello Spring! It was a balmy 31 degrees Celsius here is Nova Scotia last week, and though the temperatures have returned to a more seasonal few degrees above zero, you can definitely feel that Spring is in the air – and this means one thing- the Piping Plovers have begun returning to their breeding grounds!!

We had a great season last year with the captive rearing project releasing 5 chicks which were reared from eggs found abandoned in Kouchibouguac National Park. This year we are looking forward to the chicks returning as adults and perhaps having a nest of their own. Last year marked the final year of the two year captive rearing research project, and though we will not be collecting abandoned eggs for rearing this year, we are extremely pleased with the success of the project and glad to add captive rearing as another tool in our Piping Plover conservation tool box!

Everyone is getting excited and starting to plan for the upcoming 2012 field season. At the first of March I attended a Piping Plover Working Group meeting in Sackville, New Brunswick. It was a great couple of days where everyone in the Piping Plover world here in the Maritimes came together to plan for the upcoming season. There was a lot of focus on developing Piping Plover volunteers in the area, and I think there are going to a lot of worthwhile and exciting volunteer opportunities in the region this year. If you are interested in volunteering, I would encourage you to contact any of the organizations working with this amazing species in your area. For more information on opportunities and how you can volunteer visit www.pipingplover.ca