Late Success for Nesting Ringed Plovers!
In our last blog post, we talked about shorebird nesting season beginning to draw to a close, and last week, on 1st September, it official ended for this year.
In a surprising turn of events, a pair of ringed plovers made a late nesting attempt on Druridge Bay in late July, which was reported to us by a local birder. This nest was the pair’s second, if not third or fourth, nest attempt this year, having their previous attempts predated by crows. We were determined to give the birds a helping hand on their final attempt.
Netting and signs were deployed to keep their three precious eggs safe from accidental harm and disturbance by people and dogs, and three weeks later two tiny chicks hatched! Unfortunately, as it was so late in the season one of the parent birds had abandoned the nest, leaving the female to raise her young on her own.
To help keep them safe we provided a series of protected ‘bubbles’ on the beach using fencing and signage to help keep them as free from disturbance as possible. This proved tricky during big spring high tides as space on the shore was limited, but we were thrilled to see the chicks and their parent making good use of the protected areas when danger was close.
The section of beach the parent used to raise her chicks proved to be ideal, as the covering of pebbles and shingle provided excellent cover for the young birds. They were so well camouflaged, as shown in the image below, that even a kestrel couldn’t see them even from a few metres away! When we saw this raptor land inside the protected area, we thought it was surely over for these birds, but strict instructions from their parent telling them to stay still and not move a muscle worked!
Rangers and chick watch volunteers spoke to beach users venturing past the nest protection site about the birds and were delighted by the level of interest in the birds and how supportive people were by giving the site space and keeping dogs away from the fencing.
On 1st September, when the tide was out, the parent bird made her way down to the wet sand, approximately 100m from the fencing, to feed, and beckoned her chicks to join her. Sure enough, they both stretched their wings and took to the sky and flew down to join her – they had fledged! It was a joyous moment to behold, and we are privileged to have been able to witness this special event. The adult bird has been incredible at keeping her young safe, and we are full of admiration for her given how exhausted she must be at this stage of the season.
So, that’s it for another year for our nesting shorebirds. To everyone that has helped us this year, we say a huge thank you! To the incredible Coast Care volunteers, concerned members of the public who have alerted us to nesting attempts, landowners who have given us permission to create nest protection areas, local residents and visitors who have given the birds space and our amazing Dog Rangers – you have all played a huge role in the successful fledging of chicks this year!
