Barwon Coast prepares to protect imminent hatchings

BARWON Coast is preparing to declare a temporary exclusion zone for a section of beach in Barwon Heads and 13th Beach to protect the imminent hatching of hooded plover chicks.
Barwon Coast natural resource planning manager Warren Chapman said hoodies were attempting to breed all along Ocean Grove Spit and 13th Beach, including from the first car park, 30W, towards ‘Cylinders’ car park at 31W.
“These will be the first chicks to hatch on Barwon Coast for the 2019 breeding season.
“Chicks are vulnerable to many threats, such as raptor birds, seagulls, magpies, little raven and pest animals; fox and cat, but with our help we can minimise other disturbance and not also be a threat and give them space to succeed.”
Mr Chapman said Barwon Coast’s approach was to use a temporary exclusion zone for a section of beach where no access is allowed along that section of beach and suggest alternate beach access for beach users.
“This breeding season we have had losses already – eggs have been taken from the nest scrape by a fox and two clutches of eggs washed away by high storm tides.
“The birds are looking for new home territory.
“We have had a successful breeding pair from Ocean Grove Main Beach, where a chick fledged in each of the past two breeding seasons and the parents are now setting up a scrape on the Ocean Grove Spit, nearer the river mouth.”
Mr Chapman said the chicks weighed barely 1.5 grams when they hatched.
“The parents do not feed the chicks so they need to immediately and constantly forage along the water edge.
“Parents call the chicks to hide when they see a threat, but chicks in hiding cannot feed, not gain weight, not build reserves for resilience.”