Red Rocks' three hoodie chicks, aged almost five weeks. At last count, Victoria had about 500 hooded plovers left, of which Phillip Island had 44. Photo: Kim Wormald
Dog-owners have joined the ranks of those keeping vigil over Red Rocks' precious hooded plover chicks. Sue Saliba reports.
By Sue Saliba
LATE last September, our hooded plovers returned to Red Rocks beach. It was the third year the beautiful pair had come to nest just above the high tide mark in front of the sandy dunes.
Before 2011 there had been no hooded plovers nesting on Red Rocks beach for 21 years.
It was exciting to see the small birds return but also anxiety-arousing. I’m passionate about our hooded plovers but, about to enter my third season as a volunteer, I was highly conscious of the challenges they were about to face.
I’d venture down to the beach each day just to see what the birds were doing. They seemed happy with the changes the weather had made to the beach over winter. Strong surges and lots of rain had carved a little creek high up on the beach and created grassy dunes, both perfect for potential chicks to shelter in. The birds busied themselves running here and there on their little stick-like legs and eventually chose a nesting place high up on the beach.
Their small home – a simple scrape in the sand – was soon filled with three tiny speckled eggs and then our work as volunteers officially began. The Nature Park roped off the nest area and the council erected signs.
While it’s true that ravens can take the eggs and that they can be washed out by high tides (both of which happened to our pair the previous year), the biggest threat is off-lead dogs.
I have a dog and I love her dearly. Until I became a volunteer I couldn’t understand what harm her presence off-lead could cause the birds. Like many dog people, I would have said, “But she won’t hurt anyone”, or “She doesn’t chase birds”, or “I can see when the birds are around and then I’ll put her on the lead”.
I came to realise that, as friendly or innocent as our dogs may be, their mere presence can cause real harm to the hooded plovers. A dog wandering up near the nest, for example, can cause the adult bird to temporarily leave the nest, leading to a predator taking the eggs or simply to the abandoned eggs overheating in the hot sun and the chicks inside dying.
As volunteers we requested that, within the bounds of the refuge area, beach users walk along the water’s edge and keep their dogs on a lead.
At first there was some resistance but, bit by bit, as beach and dog walkers learnt more about the special little birds and realised they could help the hooded plovers raise a family simply by following some easy requests, many more people complied. In fact, by the time the chicks hatched in early December, there was genuine interest in them.
Over the beach and down to the water’s edge the chicks scurried, three little fluff balls on tiny legs. Only 50 per cent of hooded plover chicks survive beyond their first seven days. Last year, on Phillip Island, only six chicks made it through to fledging. Hooded plover chicks cannot fly until they are about 35 days old. Unlike many other birds, the parents do not feed the young so the chicks have to move around the beach feeding themselves from the moment they hatch.
In those early days and weeks many things can cause the death of a chick: seagulls, ravens, pacific gulls, a human standing unknowingly on one of the tiny birds hiding in the seaweed but, again, their biggest threat remains off-lead dogs.
Counting down
Hooded plovers are now extinct in Queensland and most of NSW. In Victoria, there are only about 500, of which Phillip Island had 44 at last count. Two of them have made their summer home at Red Rocks beach.
Sprinting dad. The hooded plover parents try to divert potential predators from the chicks. Photo: Kim Wormald
The chicks’ only defence in the first few days is to freeze and drop down when the parent signals a threat. This means the repeated presence of a dog nearby can lead to the chicks staying frozen for long periods and possibly suffering dehydration and even starvation and death.
As time goes on, the chicks begin to run when a threat appears. They also venture more readily to the water’s edge where their main food is just beneath the sea weed. The problem then presents that if a dog comes walking along the shoreline, the little chicks will run up the sand. Even the least aggressive dog will be tempted to chase something scurrying quickly away. That’s why it was crucial that all dogs had to be on-lead. An off-lead dog might run the chicks down and kill them or injure them. Even in the less extreme example, a dog chasing a hooded plover chick would stress the chick and mean valuable energy needed to grow and develop would be used up.
Put simply, disturbance more than aggression is the threat that off-lead dogs pose and this disturbance repeated again and again is what can lead to the death of the chicks.
The chicks grew older: two weeks, three weeks, four. The community – locals, holiday home owners, visitors and dog people – all became more involved. As volunteers, we were constantly asked how the chicks were and given reports of what people had seen. Some people brought their long-lens cameras to take photographs, others enjoyed looking through our binoculars. We still had the occasional dog person arriving with their dog off-lead but most had become as enamoured of the birds as we were and wanted to keep their dogs on-lead as a way of helping the birds.
As five weeks approached, everyone knew the chicks would soon fly. There was genuine excitement on the beach. I’d arrive to be told by a beach goer that they’d seen the chicks fluttering their wings or that they’d caught a glimpse of one of them leaving the sand in small flight. I watched and prayed we’d get through the next few days.
Thirty-five days came, then 36, 37 and 38 – the chicks were now regularly practising their little flights over water. On the 39th day – mid-morning with the sun streaming down – they flew. Suddenly, the whole family took to the sky and as one perfect group rounded the corner and left the beach.
COMMENTS
February 23, 2014
Loved the positive story about the hoodies and how dog owners (like me) are helping out by keeping their dogs away and on leashes. The huge majority of people are responsible pet owners who want to do the right thing and respect other people and wildlife, while enjoying the health and social benefits of walking the dog.
Wendy Davies
February 22, 2014
Great story on the cutest of little birds. I love watching our little family of 2 chicks on Ventnor Beach. Like Red Rocks, they seem to have made it - and fingers crossed people seem to be respecting the protection barriers and signage and keeping their dogs away.
Anne Paul, Ventnor
February 16, 2014
Loved the hoodie story. The hoodie brigade are really making a difference. And so good to see the dog people and non-dog people have come together over this sweet vulnerable little bird.
Linda Cuttriss, Phillip Island
LATE last September, our hooded plovers returned to Red Rocks beach. It was the third year the beautiful pair had come to nest just above the high tide mark in front of the sandy dunes.
Before 2011 there had been no hooded plovers nesting on Red Rocks beach for 21 years.
It was exciting to see the small birds return but also anxiety-arousing. I’m passionate about our hooded plovers but, about to enter my third season as a volunteer, I was highly conscious of the challenges they were about to face.
I’d venture down to the beach each day just to see what the birds were doing. They seemed happy with the changes the weather had made to the beach over winter. Strong surges and lots of rain had carved a little creek high up on the beach and created grassy dunes, both perfect for potential chicks to shelter in. The birds busied themselves running here and there on their little stick-like legs and eventually chose a nesting place high up on the beach.
Their small home – a simple scrape in the sand – was soon filled with three tiny speckled eggs and then our work as volunteers officially began. The Nature Park roped off the nest area and the council erected signs.
While it’s true that ravens can take the eggs and that they can be washed out by high tides (both of which happened to our pair the previous year), the biggest threat is off-lead dogs.
I have a dog and I love her dearly. Until I became a volunteer I couldn’t understand what harm her presence off-lead could cause the birds. Like many dog people, I would have said, “But she won’t hurt anyone”, or “She doesn’t chase birds”, or “I can see when the birds are around and then I’ll put her on the lead”.
I came to realise that, as friendly or innocent as our dogs may be, their mere presence can cause real harm to the hooded plovers. A dog wandering up near the nest, for example, can cause the adult bird to temporarily leave the nest, leading to a predator taking the eggs or simply to the abandoned eggs overheating in the hot sun and the chicks inside dying.
As volunteers we requested that, within the bounds of the refuge area, beach users walk along the water’s edge and keep their dogs on a lead.
At first there was some resistance but, bit by bit, as beach and dog walkers learnt more about the special little birds and realised they could help the hooded plovers raise a family simply by following some easy requests, many more people complied. In fact, by the time the chicks hatched in early December, there was genuine interest in them.
Over the beach and down to the water’s edge the chicks scurried, three little fluff balls on tiny legs. Only 50 per cent of hooded plover chicks survive beyond their first seven days. Last year, on Phillip Island, only six chicks made it through to fledging. Hooded plover chicks cannot fly until they are about 35 days old. Unlike many other birds, the parents do not feed the young so the chicks have to move around the beach feeding themselves from the moment they hatch.
In those early days and weeks many things can cause the death of a chick: seagulls, ravens, pacific gulls, a human standing unknowingly on one of the tiny birds hiding in the seaweed but, again, their biggest threat remains off-lead dogs.
Counting down
Hooded plovers are now extinct in Queensland and most of NSW. In Victoria, there are only about 500, of which Phillip Island had 44 at last count. Two of them have made their summer home at Red Rocks beach.
Sprinting dad. The hooded plover parents try to divert potential predators from the chicks. Photo: Kim Wormald
The chicks’ only defence in the first few days is to freeze and drop down when the parent signals a threat. This means the repeated presence of a dog nearby can lead to the chicks staying frozen for long periods and possibly suffering dehydration and even starvation and death.
As time goes on, the chicks begin to run when a threat appears. They also venture more readily to the water’s edge where their main food is just beneath the sea weed. The problem then presents that if a dog comes walking along the shoreline, the little chicks will run up the sand. Even the least aggressive dog will be tempted to chase something scurrying quickly away. That’s why it was crucial that all dogs had to be on-lead. An off-lead dog might run the chicks down and kill them or injure them. Even in the less extreme example, a dog chasing a hooded plover chick would stress the chick and mean valuable energy needed to grow and develop would be used up.
Put simply, disturbance more than aggression is the threat that off-lead dogs pose and this disturbance repeated again and again is what can lead to the death of the chicks.
The chicks grew older: two weeks, three weeks, four. The community – locals, holiday home owners, visitors and dog people – all became more involved. As volunteers, we were constantly asked how the chicks were and given reports of what people had seen. Some people brought their long-lens cameras to take photographs, others enjoyed looking through our binoculars. We still had the occasional dog person arriving with their dog off-lead but most had become as enamoured of the birds as we were and wanted to keep their dogs on-lead as a way of helping the birds.
As five weeks approached, everyone knew the chicks would soon fly. There was genuine excitement on the beach. I’d arrive to be told by a beach goer that they’d seen the chicks fluttering their wings or that they’d caught a glimpse of one of them leaving the sand in small flight. I watched and prayed we’d get through the next few days.
Thirty-five days came, then 36, 37 and 38 – the chicks were now regularly practising their little flights over water. On the 39th day – mid-morning with the sun streaming down – they flew. Suddenly, the whole family took to the sky and as one perfect group rounded the corner and left the beach.
COMMENTS
February 23, 2014
Loved the positive story about the hoodies and how dog owners (like me) are helping out by keeping their dogs away and on leashes. The huge majority of people are responsible pet owners who want to do the right thing and respect other people and wildlife, while enjoying the health and social benefits of walking the dog.
Wendy Davies
February 22, 2014
Great story on the cutest of little birds. I love watching our little family of 2 chicks on Ventnor Beach. Like Red Rocks, they seem to have made it - and fingers crossed people seem to be respecting the protection barriers and signage and keeping their dogs away.
Anne Paul, Ventnor
February 16, 2014
Loved the hoodie story. The hoodie brigade are really making a difference. And so good to see the dog people and non-dog people have come together over this sweet vulnerable little bird.
Linda Cuttriss, Phillip Island