Piping Plover’s Protections in Revere

In Yee’s (2007) article “One hot beach chick: piping plover breed,” he explains how piping plovers are surviving on a busy beach. First, piping plovers are raising their chicks in the busiest beach; thus, it brings expectations to environmentalists. Since 1985, when it was discovered that plovers were endangered, Massachusetts Beach has displayed a great number of piping plovers residing there after bird’s protection program like Commonwealth had been running. However, the only thing that is worrying the bird’s protection programs is that in these days out of four plover’s eggs only one reproduced while in 1992 a couple would raise two chicks. In addition, hunters like foxes, skunks and seagulls are coming to be skilful in hunting plovers due to the extended number of plovers. Besides that, plover’s eggs are difficult to see by people and chicks stop moving when alarmed; consequently, this makes them exposed to be stepped on by cars. Furthermore, in Massachusetts beach over 2.5 million people frequent every year, thus endangering the plovers. Finally, to protect these birds Corona’s unpaid helpers surrounded an area with 500-yard with a rope and sand-rakers were forbidden from removing dirt in the region.

All ways mentioned in this article to protect piping plovers are not enough. Therefore, besides blocking off stretches of shoreline with twine and snow fencing, and by enclosing the yards with stretch with sticks, twine, and yellow caution tape, we should also keep the eggs in a veterinarian hospital, surround the area with electric fence and separate the beach.

Piping plover’s eggs must be kept in an incubator until the chicks are born. Piping plover’s eggs are too tiny to be seen; thus, people and animals that frequent the beach can easily step on them. In addition, plover’s chicks when alarmed with thing like a car do not move and stay in the same position or place making them vulnerable to being run over by cars. Therefore, if we collect the eggs from the beach to the incubator, we can keep them until the chicks are born and start to fly and release them to the environment. Moreover, by the time they are released people will be able to see them and they will be able to defend themselves against predators. ( Novaes. F, 2008) for instance, in Brazil there is a bird in danger called antwren that stays near the Amazon forest. Its protectors are collecting the antwren’s eggs to the incubator until they are born. Since they started using this system they have been noticing a great number of antwrens recovering. It allows them to make antwren less vulnerable from predators and forest burning. Thus, if we implemented the same system it would be very useful in protecting piping plovers.

The use of electric fences is also another way of defending piping plovers. (Abbott. S, 2007) for example, in Canada organizations like the Conservatory are using electric fences in defending piping plovers. The organization has succeeded in protecting over 2 million birds in danger. The electric fence does not harm what is inside it, only what’s out side of it. Thus, pets, predators and people are electrified whenever they are trying to get in. Besides Canada, the same system is being used in Australia to protect red-footed booby birds from extinction. All these countries are succeeding in protecting birds from extinction; thus, we should also try to do the same for the piping plover.

The beach’s area must be divided and limited. There must be areas for birds and for people so that people will not go to the bird’s areas or birds to the people area. For instance, in my country we had a problem of some marine species’ approaching extinction. Many foreigners and Tanzanians were capturing some marine species and sending them to Europe. Thus, the government decided to separate the ocean area. We now have areas which are only frequented by people and others which only people whose jobs and studies are related to marine ecology. Therefore, the number of people who hunt marine species has been reduced and a number of marine species near extinction are now recovering. However, in this Massachusetts beach the beach is not divided for people and birds; then, they also have to start using this method to give more help to piping plovers.

The methods mentioned in this article to defend piping plover are useful. However, to increase the ways of protecting plovers so that they cannot be exposed to predators or people, they should also keep the eggs in an incubator until they are born, surround the bird’s area with electric fence and separate or divide the beach. Birds are one of the things that make our environment alive and colorful. They belong to our history and they are part of one of the best wonders in the world. Therefore, we need to collaborate in protecting them from danger and extinction.

Reference

Yee. A (2007, August 27). One hot beach chick: piping plover breed hope, joy in Revere. Globe Newspaper Company. Retrieved October 25, 2008, from LexisNexis

Novaes. F ( 2008 March, 14 ) Birds in danger in Brazil