A “wonderful” arrival along an Aussie coastline has locals rallying to keep the “tiny, vulnerable” animals safe. Much to the delight of many, two baby hooded plovers recently hatched on the sand in Stingray Bay at Breamlea, near Torquay in Victoria.
Concerned about the well-being of the young, endangered birds and their parents, residents have launched into action.
Barwon Coast, which manages the land, announced this week it has set up temporary exclusion zones, which are expected to stay in place until mid-March.
“These fenced areas must not be entered by people or dogs while the chicks are on the beach,” the group stated online, highlighting some of the native birds’ threats.
Barwon Coast has also cut off western and central beach accesses at Breamlea Caravan Park, but alternative tracks remain open.
“Thank you for giving these vulnerable chicks the space they need to grow. Every small action helps give them the best chance of safe fledging,” said staff, who encouraged locals and visitors to keep an eye out for signage.
The overall success rate for a chick to make it to fledging is only two per cent. Source: Barwon Coast
Beachgoers often unaware of endangered species
Such protection is necessary to keep the baby hooded plovers safe, as the species’ breeding season coincides with the summer months when there’s “heavy beach usage”, Tash Verspeek, Volunteer Coordinator for the Friends of the Hooded Plover Bellarine group, told Yahoo News.
When hooded plovers feel threatened, the adult birds react by fleeing the nest and trying to lure whatever sparked their concern away from their babies, the nurse explained.
“There’s times when people have rested their towels over the fenced areas around nest sites, and set up … and they’re not realising that they’ve actually gotten so close that the birds are off the nest and then the eggs are left to cook in the sun,” she said.
The beach access closures in Breamlea following the arrival of the baby hooded plovers. Source: Barwon Coast
Hooded plover chick snatched by magpie hours after birth
Areas have also been sectioned off on neighbouring beaches after two additional nests with chicks were spotted this month.
“There’s another pair that had a nest that was due to hatch anytime, and they hatched sometime overnight or early this morning,” Tash told Yahoo on Wednesday.
Sadly, soon after a City of Greater Geelong environmental patrol officer, who was walking along the beach at the time, saw a magpie swoop in and “take a chick off the ground”.
“We can’t minimise those types of threats when they’ve happened. But there’s still two other freshly hatched chicks with those parents,” she added.
“So we’re just trying to set up some signage so that people walking the beach give them space.”
Sadly, the overall success rate for a chick to make it to fledging is only two per cent, the volunteer revealed.
Last month, four hooded plover chicks were found dead at Fairhaven and Ocean Grove beaches following community reports of dog attacks, according to Crime Stoppers Victoria.
Along the coastline of Victoria, the entire hooded plover population is about 740, Tash said.
When BirdLife Australia kicked off Operation Save our Hoodies about 20 years ago, there were a lot less, she added.
“Without the program, the species would quickly decline and they would become extinct.”
If you’re interested in volunteering with BirdLife Australia, check out your options here.
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