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A pair of NZ dotterels, or tūturiwhatu, have begun nesting behind Manly Fire station, and Hibiscus Coast Forest & Bird is asking the community to keep dogs well clear of the area, which has been signposted and fenced off. Forest & Bird’s Jenny Hanwell says the pair are the same ones that nested and raised a chick in beachside gardens on Laurence Street last year – the female bird was flagged with a unique code. 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, so Forest & Bird are collaborating with Auckland Council and DOC to coordinate efforts by local volunteers to protect them. Dotterels lay three eggs which can take 27-32 days to hatch, and when they do, the parents show the chicks how to forage for food. Eggs are vulnerable to predation by rats, stoats and hedgehogs, so traps have been set up.
Once the chicks hatch they are at risk from cats, so Forest & Bird asks the local community to keep cats contained at night, and (for neighbours of the site) during the day as well. In addition, dotterels are showing signs of nesting again at Big Manly Beach, with local volunteers recruited to try and keep them, and any chicks, safe. Recently Forest & Bird hosted a volunteer information evening for people wanting to help keep an eye out for dotterels and spread the word about them.
As a result, a Facebook group has been set up, overseen by dotterel watch volunteer Derek Kelsey, called Big Manly Dotterels. Derek visits the nesting sites daily to check on progress. Bunnings in Silverdale has donated materials to create protected areas for the birds if they nest on the beach. Jenny says it’s important that members of the public do not approach the nest, as if the birds are off the eggs for too long they become unviable.
If you would like to volunteer to protect dotterels, contact j.hanwell@forestandbird.org.nz
