An interview with James Hirtle
We spoke with James Hirtle about his participation in
Piping Plover programs and about his interest in the birds.
How long have you been involved with Piping Plover conservation?
James pauses, and thinks for a moment. He answers that he
has been working with plovers for over 19 years – since 1988.
How did you get involved with the Nova Scotia Piping Plover Program?
James responds that he has had a general interest in birds since
the early 1980’s, when he began keeping bird lists. After he
graduated from university and moved back home to Lunenburg
County, James joined local bird groups: the South Shore Naturalists Club, and the Nova
Scotia Bird Society. These groups were involved in the early Piping Plover Guardian
Program and members invited James to a training session to become a Piping Plover
Guardian. James didn’t quite realize what he was getting into, and before he knew it, he
became the local program coordinator for Lunenburg County! He coordinates the program
in Lunenburg County to this day.
What does your work with plovers involve?
A lot of the work involves public education, on the beach and in the community. James
writes a column on birds for the local paper, and uses this to advertise the plover program.
In the column he gives updates about how the birds are doing at the local beaches, and also
gives an overview of how the birds are doing across the province. This information helps
highlight the plight of this endangered species, and also helps recruit new volunteers to the
program.
James also spends a great deal of time at his
plover beaches, keeping an eye on the birds
and interacting with people who come to the
beach. He often sets up his telescope to let
people see the birds from a distance. James
points out that most people have never seen
the differences between Piping Plovers and
other shorebirds, and often mistake
Semipalmated Plovers for Piping Plovers. He
recalls one example when a man asked him
why there was so much concern over plovers
when this man said he saw so many on the
beaches. When he was shown the difference
between the species, the man finally understood that there really were very few Piping
Plovers in Nova Scotia.
James stresses that it is crucial to have that Guardian presence on the beach. Signs and rope
that are used to protect plover nests are not enough. Many people don’t read the signs
closely and don’t realize that these areas need to be avoided. He tells a story highlighting the
importance of a human presence on the beaches. A woman who had previously worked with
him as a Guardian discovered a group of high school students playing soccer right beside a
plover nesting area. Two plover nests were close together, and the signs on the symbolic
fencing between the two nests were apparently spaced perfectly for goals posts! Having had
training as a Guardian, the woman approached the group in a friendly manner and asked if
they wanted to see the birds through her telescope. When the students realized the danger
their game posed to the plovers, they were happy to leave for another spot. The happy
ending to the story is that both pairs of plovers successfully hatched all eggs and all chicks
fledged, putting eight birds back into the population.
How involved is the community in protecting plovers?
James comments that a lot of the regular visitors to
the beach are well informed about the birds, and they
play an important part in the conservation of the
birds. When Guardians are not on the beach, these
regulars often inform other beach users about the
vulnerability of plovers and teach them to avoid
disturbing the birds.
James feels very lucky that the local people in his region are wonderful and are very
interested in the program. He gets a lot of feedback through his newspaper column about
how the birds are doing. He credits the public with informing him, in some years, about
plover nests that would otherwise have gone undiscovered by the program.
What advice would you give to new Plover Guardians?
James laughs and answers that everyone needs to wear lots of layers of clothing! He warns
that the weather is very unpredictable on the coast, and the climate can change dramatically
from inland to the beach. Even on the beach, he says, the temperature can change very
quickly, and he has often had to drop or add several layers while walking the length of the
beach.
What is your favourite part of the plover work?
James doesn’t hesitate and answers that he just loves seeing the chicks reach fledging age,
knowing that the pairs on his beaches have had a successful year.
What is one of the most memorable moments of your time on the beaches?
James doesn’t answer right away, but later recalls an incident a couple of years ago when
disaster was only just avoided at one of the plover nests. James was walking on a plover
beach with a couple of teenagers who knew
nothing about plovers. From a distance, he
showed them a brood of young chicks that
had just hatched. As they turned away and
walked back down the beach, one of the kids
suddenly exclaimed “There goes a mink!” The
mink hadn’t yet noticed the plovers, but if it
continued in the direction it was headed, it
was bound to discover the chicks huddling
nearby. The mink would likely have eaten the
chicks, which were far too young to escape.
James re-routed the mink so that it didn’t
discover the plovers. James ends the story
happily, saying that the chicks survived and
fledged.
James will surely be patrolling Nova Scotia beaches, rain or shine, when the spring arrives
again.