An endangered species that lives along Saskatchewan’s beaches in the spring and summer needs our help.
Nature Saskatchewan is asking for beach goers and anglers to keep watch around their feet because the hatchlings of Piping Plovers are only about an inch tall.
Spokesperson Rebecca Magnus says not only are they camouflaged with the colours of sand and stones, the teeny hatchlings can get caught in ruts and not make it to the shore to feed.
She describes them as cotton balls on sticks. They can’t fly for their first few weeks of life.
There are only about 800 Piping Plovers in the world, and Saskatchewan is a hot spot for these shorebirds in Canada.
In August, the birds will begin their 35-hundred kilometre flight back to the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.