White Point Beach Resort is hosting a piping plover weekend
Will ET come home? That's the question on the minds of piping plover watchers in Nova Scotia.
The tiny endangered bird, born at White Point last year, was spotted on a beach in the Bahamas this week, even though its father, EP, is back at White Point with a female friend.
White Point Beach Resort's Donna Hatt says they're anxiously watching for ET's return.
"How long does it take a little plover that weighs under six toonies to fly 2,300 miles to come back north for nesting? I don't know," she said.
ET is one of four babies born to a pair of piping plovers at White Point Beach last year. It's one of 200 plovers in Eastern Canada that was banded in a study started by Environment Canada in 2014.
Sue Abbott with Bird Studies Canada said a lot is unknown about the piping plover and its behaviour once it leaves the nesting grounds and heads south.
She said they suspect the adults are the first to return in the spring.
"The ones we've seen so far in Atlantic Canada and Quebec are just the adults that were banded last year, so none of the young from 2014 have been sited yet or confirmed," said Abbott.
International Piping Plover Weekend
Abbott says a few plovers were seen here during the winter, but most should migrate back to breeding grounds by June.
At White Point, they've seen 11 babies hatched in the past four years and this year they're hoping for more.
The resort has a piping plover display aimed at educating guests about the tiny shorebird and its nests and the necessity of keeping dogs on leashes while on the beach.
White Point is hosting the International Piping Plover Weekend Saturday and Sunday. The festivities include free activities.
