Heartbreak as hooded plover chicks perish

TWO separate families of hooded plover chicks have succumbed to the perils of nature shortly after hatching on the Barwon Coast.

At 20W Bukareeyoo, one hooded plover chick was swept away by a tidal wave surge.

Another nest situated between Ocean Grove and Collendina beaches initially showed promise but faced an unexpected challenge when one of the parent birds became entangled in a hair tie.

Luckily, this situation was promptly resolved thanks to the intervention of local veterinarian Charlie El Hage, who successfully freed the bird, allowing it to return to its incubating duties.

Unfortunately another wave surge then obliterated this nest as well.

Barwon Coast acting chief executive officer Paul Gangell expressed his remorse.

“We were hopeful for this nest, but unfortunately it was washed out due to a wave surge event,” he said.

“We hope that our local hooded plovers will have some success this year, because they really are a special species that we want to keep around.

“We are incredibly lucky to have several hooded plovers breeding pairs make the beaches of Barwon Coast their home, including Bukareeyoo, Ocean Grove, Collendina, Breamlea and 13th Beach.

“It wasn’t so long ago that hooded plovers were on the path to extinction, so at Barwon Coast, we take protecting these rare and vulnerable birds very seriously.

This breeding season, the Barwon Coast has witnessed the hatching of six chicks, yet none have survived to fledgling status.

The hooded plover is classified as a threatened species and protected under state and federal legislation, with only an estimated 740 individuals along the Victorian coastline.

Eleven resident breeding pairs are known to reside along the local coastline, nesting in vulnerable locations above the high-tide mark from September to March.

“We don’t always know why chicks don’t survive, but some of this years’ chicks have fallen prey to environmental factors such as tidal surges and predators such as birds of prey,” Mr Gangell said.

“Humans and dogs are a huge threat to hooded plovers and we will continue to ask our communities to help us protect these special little birds by staying out of Temporary Exclusion Zones, obeying signage and keeping their dogs leashed and out of breeding zones.”