Lorne welcomes first-ever hooded plover chicks

TWO hooded plover chicks have hatched in Lorne, marking the first time the endangered birds have nested within the town.

The birds appear to have migrated from Moggs Creek, where weather erosion has made nesting in the area unviable.

Affectionately known as “hoodies”, the species face several threats and have only a 2.5 per cent chance of surviving from egg to fully fledged adult without human assistance.

Hoodies nest along beaches through the summer months, where they compete for space with humans and pets. Nests are prone to disturbance and, when they hatch, chicks source food at the water’s edge making unrestricted access vital for their survival.

 

To protect the now two-week-old flightless chicks, the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA) has set up an exclusion zone, preventing both humans and dogs from using the section of beach currently occupied by the hoodies.

The exclusion zone will remain in place until the chicks are able to fly.

GORCAPA conservation supervisor Scott Hives said locals and visitors should take care on the Lorne Beach and “avoid the area between the Erskine River mouth to the rock groyne”.

“We’re asking all beachgoers to use the Cypress Avenue trail to the Swing Bridge where they can safety re-enter the beach,” he said.

To help educate the community about hoodies, volunteers from the Surf Coast Friends of the Hooded Plover have been manning the exclusion zone.

Volunteer co-ordinator Janice Carpenter said their intension was not to police the community, but rather to show their interest in the birds and help the public understand why they had lost access to the beach.

She said the hoodies’ arrival had been a bit of a shock to the Lorne community, but they had been “absolutely fantastic” in adhering to the exclusion zone. “It’s all news to Lorne…and of course, it takes a while for the population to get used to having to share the beach with birds that they’d never even heard of.”

 

The volunteers are trained by BirdLife Australia and operate under the guidelines outlined by the bird conservation organisation.

BirdLife Australia has been responsible for co-ordinating the statewide and national recovery of the hooded plover, helping to fight further population decline.

Carpenter said volunteers had been travelling from all over the Surf Coast to help protect the hoodies in Lorne and the team were hoping to eventually hand the reins over to volunteers living within the township.

If you would like to join in the volunteer effort, phone Janice Carpenter on 0418 375 561.

To report the location of a hooded plover nest along the Great Ocean Road, phone GORCAPA on 1300 736 533, or email [email protected]