WATERSHED AUTHORITY TO RELEASE ENDANGERED BIRDS

Provincial biologists released 17 young Piping Plovers from temporary flight pens at Chaplin Lake today. These young are part of a rescue and captive rearing effort lead by the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority with assistance from SaskPower which has been ongoing since June 11th.

"This initiative is quite unique, in that it is the first time that a captive rearing project involving Piping Plovers has been undertaken in Saskatchewan," Minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority David Forbes said. "I want to congratulate everyone who assisted in this extraordinary effort to save these birds."

Piping Plovers are listed as "endangered" under the Government of Canada's Species at Risk Act. In 2001, census data indicated that the North American population of these small birds was 5,945 adults, with 13.5 percent of those nesting annually in Saskatchewan, many along the shores of Lake Diefenbaker.

Piping Plovers make their nests close to the water's edge on exposed sandy or gravelly beaches. Due to record rainfalls in Alberta this summer, approximately 130 nests around Lake Diefenbaker were threatened by rapidly rising water levels in the South Saskatchewan River system.

Watershed Authority staff collected and incubated a total of 264 Piping Plover eggs at the Authority's facilities at the Gardiner Dam. Once hatched, the birds were captive-reared at the facility until their body mass reached 25 grams, after which they were transferred to the specially-constructed flight pens at Chaplin Lake. Plover chicks are being held in these pens to begin to learn how to forage for natural prey, avoid predators, and to acclimate themselves to natural weather conditions until they are at least 28 days of age and are able to fly.

Of the 246 viable eggs that were collected, 107 (43 percent) of the chicks have survived to date. This is a fairly good success rate as compared to those of wild Piping Plovers in the Chaplin area, which average 27 percent.

To date a total of 74 birds have been released from the flight pens at Chaplin, with another 33 scheduled to be released by August 12th.

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For More Information, Contact:

Dr. Glen McMaster Saskatchewan Watershed Authority Regina Phone: (306) 787-8764 Cell: (306) 527-6323