Effects of Predator Exclusion on the Reproductive Success of the Piping

Plover (Charadrius melodus).

By Krista Schmidt

The Piping Plover Breeds in summer along the

Atlantic Coast, in the Great Lakes, and in the northern Mid-West

Listed as endangered in 1985 Main threats to continued

survival include: loss and degradation of breeding and wintering habitat, disturbance by beach goers and their pets, motorized vehicles, beach cleaners, pollution, and...

Predation!!! Human introduced predators

such as dogs, and cats and human practices that increase predator populations, blackbirds and gulls for instance, are a major problem.

Nests and young are particularly vulnerable to predation

To combat this, different types of predator control, mainly by predator exclusion, are used in piping plover recovery plans.

The Question

• Are predator exclusion devices effective for increasing the reproductive rate of piping plovers?

Methods

Collected findings from predator exclusion studies on piping plover nesting success

Compared nesting success, fledge, daily survival rate of different predator exclusion methods:

No protection

Exclosure only

Electric fence only

Exclosure and electric fence

Used a fledge rate of at least 1.5 chicks/pair for predator exclusion method to be successful

Types of Predator Exclusion Devices

Exclosures (with electric fence as well in this case)

Electric fencing

Chick shelters

Results• From 11 different studies

analyzed, there were 20 different mean nest success values, 22 fledge rates and 9 mean daily survival rates were reported

• No protection: 6 failures• Exclosure only: 3 successes, 4

failures• Electric fence only: 4 failures• Exclosure and electric fence: 6

successes• Chick shelters were not used by

chicks

Discussion Using predator exclusion devices has both pros

and cons Pro: better nesting success and fledge rates Con:cost of materials and labor to create, time

and labor to set up, maintain and take down, higher risk of predation of adults at exclosures, small predators can still get in

The use of electric fences and exclosures has mixed results

It is important to know the predator community of the area to make predator management decisions

Conclusion Using electric fences along with

exclosures is the best option for protecting piping plover nests and chicks

Some caution that using exclosures and electric fences is only a temporary solution

Others say that with increases in conservation efforts, it is possible to reverse the downward population growth trend of the piping plover

Knowing the predator community is key!

Acknowledgments

Questions?