Rare birds get beach protection
A rare native bird is so precious to a Manawatu¯ conservationist she is spending her summer at the beach guarding them.
Palmerston North-based Shelley Ogle, 22, has taken time out from her masters in penguin studies to take on a volunteer post helping Department of Conservation rangers protect dotterels at Port Waikato.
New Zealand dotterels only nest in a few locations, and DOC estimates there are about 1700 birds left.
They build nests for their tiny sandcoloured eggs in dunes but, unfortunately, the dunes are also used by people enjoying the beach, walking dogs, heading to fishing spots and riding offroad motorbikes, so the nests and eggs are very vulnerable to being destroyed.
Ogle spends much of her time at the nesting site telling beach users how to watch out for the birds.
‘‘They’re very hard to spot,’’ she said. ‘‘There are quite a lot of signs around, but most people don’t really know much about them, so it’s good to have a chat to them. There’s a fence in the main nesting area, but the stakes are in the sand and they fall down, so people go over the tape without realising.’’
During her stay, she is helping to organise a community day to teach children about the birds. She also sets predator traps, maintains the signs and barriers, and records observations about the birds’ behaviour for scientists to learn more about protecting them.
‘‘They are pretty special wee birds, they’re gorgeous to be around. We’re trying to see the parents swapping over from sitting on the nest. They are so protective of their nests – if you get too close, the parents jump off and run toward you
"They are pretty special wee birds, they're gorgeous to be around." Shelley Ogle
and pretend to be injured and they try to lead you away from their nests.’’
Less-rare banded dotterels are also seen in the area, and she records their activities too.
Ogle won the summer posting through the Sir Peter Blake Ambassador Awards, which has posted 11 young environmentalists and scientists to projects throughout the country, the Pacific and Antarctica.
As well as learning new skills that Ogle hopes to use throughout her career, she has particularly enjoyed the interaction with beachgoers and the opportunity to talk to children about protecting shore birds.
‘‘It’s a great way to spend summer. I’m really enjoying being outside and the community interaction. There are a lot of people that care about conservation, but don’t know they could be disturbing a nest or endangering the birds by not having a dog on a lead. It’s an amazing opportunity to help out.’’