ENDANGERED BIRDS RELEASED IN SASKATCHEWAN NOW WINTERING IN TEXAS

Released on November 18, 2005

Four piping plovers, banded in Saskatchewan during a rescue effort last June, have been spotted approximately 3,300 kilometres away on their wintering grounds near Corpus Christi, Texas.

The piping plovers, an endangered bird, were part of a Saskatchewan rescue effort lead by the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority with assistance from SaskPower and Canadian Wildlife Service when rising waters on the South Saskatchewan River system put their nests on the shores of Lake Diefenbaker at risk.

In June 2005, Saskatchewan Watershed Authority staff collected and incubated 276 piping plover eggs. Once the chicks hatched, they were raised in brood boxes until their body mass reached 25 grams; they were then individually banded and transferred to specially-constructed flight pens at Chaplin Lake. Approximately 100 chicks survived and were released at Chaplin Lake this past summer.

Three of the confirmed Texas sightings were on the beaches of Padre Island National Seashore. The fourth sighting was in Matagorda Island State Park, located along the barrier island complex just north of the Padre Island National Seashore.

"These are the first reports of the piping plovers from our Saskatchewan initiative that have shown up on wintering grounds," Minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority David Forbes said. "This is very exciting news and it is encouraging to know that Saskatchewan's efforts played a role in protecting the endangered piping plover population."

The success of the rescue effort will be evaluated using data collected on both the wintering and breeding grounds in 2006 as part of the International Piping Plover Census and other reports of sightings.

In the Prairies, piping plovers nest on sparsely vegetated beaches of lakes and reservoirs. This year, as a result of spring runoff and record rainfalls, 130 nests were deemed at risk of flooding and were recovered from the Lake Diefenbaker area.

The piping plover is listed as an endangered species under Canada's Species at Risk Act. Lake Diefenbaker is a significant site for the species, and supports approximately 25 per cent of the Saskatchewan piping plover population.

-30-

For More Information, Contact:

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