The piping plovers have again returned to Scarborough. The birds, which are listed on the endangered and threatened species list and are the official Scarborough town bird, return to the Maine coast every April to nest and breed.

Over the years the town of Scarborough, Maine Audubon and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife have been very active in protecting the bird and their habitat from human and animal intrusion.

These efforts have been successful and pairs of piping plovers have increased from just 10 in 1981 to between 47 and 60 pairs nesting on as many as 19 different Maine beaches in 2000. In 2001 piping plovers produced a record-breaking 1,000 fledglings.

The numbers of birds migrating here in 2005 are encouraging so far, although it is still early in the bird’s migratory process, according to Jessica Costa, a biologist with Maine Audubon’s piping plover project, adding that the numbers in Scarborough are consistent with past years.

At Higgins Beach, one of the more suitable areas for the six-inch birds, there are five nests and six pairs of plovers. At Scarborough beach there is one pair, but no nests. Ferry Beach and Pine Point Beach do not have any birds at this point, Costa said.

Ferry Beach has not has any birds for several years. While it has a more suitable habitat because of the recent dredging project, the birds just have not settled in the area. Costa hopes within the next couple of years the birds will begin to migrate to the area.

Pine Point beach usually has some birds, but this year’s harsh winter weather eroded some of the beach and damaged the areas where the birds generally like to nest. Costa said there is a single bird near the Old Orchard Beach end of the beach. Last year there was one pair at the beach, but they abandoned their nest twice. The reason why is not certain, but Costa said there is a possibility that cats and perhaps effects from a kite festival were contributing factors.

Northern Sky Toyz will again hold a kite festival at Pine Point on May 21 and the organizers will meet with members of the piping plover project to see what can be done to keep the birds safe and secure. They met last year and a number of rules were outlined, including keeping people and kites away from the birds. For the most part these rules were successful, although there were some infractions, Costa said.

To further protect the birds Scarborough updated its piping plover ordinance last year to include stricter regulations regarding dogs on the beaches. The new ordinance specifies that from June 15 to Sept. 15 dogs are barred from the beach from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. From 5 p.m. to sunrise dogs must be on a leash and from sunrise to 9 a.m. dogs must be under voice control and the owner must carry a leash. For the remainder of the year the voice-control rule is in effect.

According to Costa, the new regulations are working well and people seem to be obeying them. In fact, the Scarborough Police Department has not received a specific complaint relating to the piping plovers since 2002.

“It has improved and there’s a lot less dog traffic,” Costa said.

Another active organization in helping with the piping plovers is the Scarborough Department of Public Works. Each week the department cleans the beaches as part of their duties and employees keep a sharp eye out for the birds.

The department has weekly updates on the status of the piping plovers and does not disturb the birds or their nests. Whenever the department rakes the beach they have a spotter walk in front of the machines to watch for the birds. Last year one of these spotters discovered some of the birds the Audubon had not even discovered.

“We’re a pretty proactive organization over here,” said Director Mike Shaw.

Shaw does not expect to make any changes to the program this year or to how his department does its cleanup during the spring and summer.

Piping plovers return to Maine, Massachusetts and Nova Scotia every year to hatch their eggs after wintering in North Carolina. Generally, they begin returning in April and will stay until September when they again migrate south, according to Maine Audubon.

The birds will nest in a small indentation in the sand above the high tide line with seashell fragments or small stones. Sometimes the birds choose to shelter their nests under tufts of vegetation, according to information from the Maine Audubon.

The female birds will lay four eggs in the nest and the chicks will hatch in about four weeks. About 30 days after hatching the chicks will begin to fly. The birds can live for up to 14 years.

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