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Knowledge will be the determining factor in facilitating a successful nesting season for the hooded plover according to Parks Victoria Surf Coast chief ranger Michelle Anstee, as hooded plovers lay their eggs in shallow sand scrapes from August to March, during the warmer months when beaches are at their busiest.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more people who know what to do when they spot hooded plovers and their nests at the beach, means the more chance these birds have of being able to raise little families,\u201d Ms Anstee said.<\/p>\n
BirdLife Australia, which provides data on monitoring hooded plovers along Victoria\u2019s coastline, will coordinate the timing and locations of patrols.<\/p>\n
Last breeding season BirdLife recorded 1,003 hooded plover eggs along Victoria\u2019s coastline. 185 hatched and only 66 chicks survived to become juveniles, including 26 on shorelines between Port Fairy and the Bellarine Peninsula.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this time of year our volunteers are putting up signage and fencing around hooded plover nests, as the eggs \u2013 which are speckled, camouflaged and the size of a 20 cent coin \u2013 can easily be crushed by accident,\u201d Dr Meghan Cullen of BirdLife Australia said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that without human support to protect nesting birds and their eggs from disturbance, hoodies have just a 2.5 per cent chance of surviving from egg to juvenile.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the nesting season, the Conservation Regulator and Parks Victoria will have a presence at beaches near Portland, Port Fairy, Warrnambool, Apollo Bay, Moggs Creek, Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove.<\/p>\n
Reports of dogs harassing hooded plovers can be made to the Conservation Regulator at Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PATROLS will again have an ongoing presence during the hooded plover nesting season this summer, at beaches stretching from Portland all the way to Ocean Grove as part of the state\u2019s newest move in protecting the vulnerable bird species. Active beachgoers are being urged to look out for hooded plovers nesting along shorelines across the […]<\/p>\n