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Volunteers are keeping a close eye on a pair of NZ dotterels, or tūturiwhatu, with three eggs in their nest at the Cross Street end of Big Manly Beach.
The nest site the birds selected is near the high tide mark – a nest in a similar spot two years ago was washed away. Any storm is a threat and, as the nest is on a busy part of the beach, dogs off the leash is a further concern.
The same pair nested on the lawns of some homes at the other end of the beach last year and successfully raised a chick there. Earlier this season they nested at Manly Fire Station and lost those eggs to hedgehog predation.
A huge effort, including erecting a fence and signs, and filling dozens of sandbags to create a barrier against the tide, is being put in by a large group of volunteers, mostly Manly locals.
Jenny Hanwell of Hibiscus Coast Forest & Bird held a dotterel information evening in September, seeking support in protecting the birds, and many of the volunteers stepped forward then.
They include Derek Kelsey, a keen bird watcher, who was inspired to get involved when he saw last year’s dotterel chick take its first flight at Manly.
Diane Waring lives near the fire station, and seeing the pair nest there sparked her interest.
“I was gutted when the hedgehogs predated the nest, and when the same pair nested again on the beach, I couldn’t let it go,” she says.
Manly residents Kate and Richard Sheffield take regular walks on the beach, and say that has made them feel “a bit responsible” for what happens to the birds.
Volunteer efforts will ramp up more in the coming week, as the eggs are expected to hatch soon.
Once that happens, Hanwell hopes there will be some regular minders on watch every day. It is around 45 days before the chicks take their first flight and in that period they are very vulnerable.
“The young birds are not fed by the parents,” Hanwell says, “but they show them how to do it, so there is a lot of moving around as they learn to feed.”
“Responsible dog owners are aware that their dogs need to be leashed while the birds are there, and they are letting others know,” Derek says.
Another pair of dotterels has been seen at the other end of the beach, and volunteers are alert in case this pair also nest.
NZ dotterels are rarer than some species of kiwi and have become a regular sight on Hibiscus Coast beaches as well as at Shakespear Regional Park.
Their numbers are recovering but they are still dependent on conservation efforts.
As Hibiscus Matters went to print, volunteers were adding more sandbags around the seaward side of the nest, as high tides and bad weather were expected. There is also the possibility that the eggs could be removed and later replaced on the nest if need be.
