Tracadie Bay and Sandspit (NB014)

Tracadie Bay and Sandspit (NB014)

Tracadie, New Brunswick

Site Description

This site is characterized by an 8 km stretch of barrier beaches with several wash-overs and sand dunes along the eastern shores of northeastern New Brunswick. The barrier beaches enclose Tracadie Bay, which is 20 km² in size and is fed by the Little Tracadie River. Located at the mouth of this river is the town of Tracadie, which is 4 km west of the southern edge of the main sandspit. The Pointe-à-Bouleau IBA is located just to the south of Tracadie. It and Green Point, which is located just to the north of Tracadie, have been treated separately because of different land use patterns.

Birds

The Tracadie Bay and Sandspit support a significant population of the globally vulnerable (nationally endangered) Piping Plover. During the 1996 International Piping Plover census, a total of 12 birds was recorded, which represented about 2.8% of the Atlantic Canada Piping Plover population. Over an 11- year period (1987 to 1997) an average of 14.3 adult Piping Plovers was found at this site.

In addition to Piping Plovers, the Tracadie Bay and Sandspit is also utilized by staging waterfowl and shorebirds. In the fall, several hundred Canada Geese and thousands of shorebirds, such as Semipalmated Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers are recorded. On some fall outings, in excess of 200 Ruddy Turnstones and 300 White-rumped Sandpipers have been observed.

Small numbers of Atlantic Brant (e.g., < 100) are also regularly recorded at Tracadie. Historically, this region was used much more heavily during the spring and fall Brant migration with as many as 20,000 Brant using this migration route in the 1920s. However, by the mid-1930s, Brant began to shift from their coastal migration route, through the Maritimes, to a more direct route, between James Bay and New Jersey (likely as a result of a collapse in the traditional food supply). Fall migration through the Maritimes virtually ceased by the 1940s.

In addition to the birds mentioned above, several Osprey can be seen fishing in the bays and inlets of the Tracadie region.

Conservation Issues

The Piper Project / Projet siffleur is a special project of the New Brunswick Federation of Naturalists. Its objectives are to protect and educate the public about coastal ecosystems, especially Piping Plover habitat. In consultation with the Canadian Wildlife Service, the Piper Project has been completing annual Piping Plover surveys at this site. These surveys have led to the identification of the Tracadie Sandspit as a Core Site in the New Brunswick Piping Plover Atlas. Core sites are those areas that need to be protected to ensure the continued survival and recovery of Piping Plovers in New Brunswick.

The Tracadie beaches receive a considerable amount of recreational beach use during the summer months. Nesting Piping Plovers are sensitive to disturbance and such recreational activities can result in nest abandonment and reduced productivity.

Another concern is the increasing number of squatters that build cottages in the dunes and frequent these areas during the summer months. Squatters have many adverse effects on the nesting Piping Plover. In many cases, considerable amounts of garbage have been dumped and this has the potential to attract nest predators such as foxes and gulls. Furthermore, the increase in the number of people on the sandspit disturbs the birds and leads to nest abandonment.

IBA Criteria Habitats Land Uses Potential or Ongoing Threats Conservation Status

• Little Gull3 (max.)
• Piping Plover22 (max.)
• Barrow's Goldeneye80 (max.)