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\u201cThey\u2019re incredibly brave little birds, they\u2019ll pretend they\u2019ve got a broken wing in order to draw predators like dogs away from their chicks,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
There are around 11 breeding pairs between Fairhaven and Torquay but Ms Cullen believes there is room for more and the birds numbers are improving.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the last three odd decades we\u2019ve been seeing a decline, but the BirdLife campaign since 2006 has stopped the decline and we are starting to see a gradual increase in numbers. It\u2019s very positive.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are an estimated 1500 Hooded Plovers on the Australian mainland between South Australia\u2019s Eyre Peninsula and southern New South Wales, with another 1500 in Tasmania.<\/p>\n
But, while population numbers are stabilising Meg Cullen warns of less manageable threats, particularly to habitat.<\/p>\n
\u201cClimate change is the next big thing we\u2019re going to need to think about\u2026sea level rises, coastal erosion and resulting engineering solutions like rock walls.\u201d<\/p>\n
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ANXIOUS volunteers are looking out for Hooded Plover chicks along the Great Ocean Road as fledglings reach the critical stage of being able to fly at around 5-weeks-old. The four-week-old Roadknight Christmas chick in Anglesea is \u201ctaking its first short fluttery flights\u201d according to Janice Carpenter, co-ordinator of the Friends of the Hooded Plovers Surf […]<\/p>\n