Plovers in a dangerous time: Endangered bird may be making a comeback on N.B. shores [Video]

Kouchibouguac National Park welcomed six pairs of piping plovers in 2024, which resulted in 16 fledglings — the highest annual production in seven years. 

But it’s only a small stride in the fight to conserve the endangered species. 

Piping plovers are migrating shorebirds that make their stop along the coastlines of eastern North America each spring to nest and raise their young before setting off on their journey south to Florida or the Caribbean. 

The species is vulnerable to predation, flooding and human activity because the birds build their nests on exposed sandy beaches. 

“It’s significant because we monitor the piping plovers’ reproductive success and 16 fledglings from six piping-plover couples amounts to 2.67 in terms of a fledgling rate,” Daniel Gallant, an ecologist for Parks Canada, said.