Do not disturb

Banded dotterel and pied stilts will be seeking out nesting spots on riverbeds in the Horowhenua and the Department of Conservation (DOC) is asking people to not disturb the nesting shorebirds. Dotterel nests in particular are fairly well camouflaged and easy to walk on or drive over accidentally. The dotterel bird will often leave its nest and fake an injury, such as squawking and dragging a wing to divert unwanted attention from eggs or chicks, so people are asked to keep a wide berth and keep dogs on leads in these areas. Keep noise to a minimum, don’t get close, keep to marked tracks and don’t dump garden waste or rubbish in the area. Tuturiwhatu or banded dotterel are a threatened species that breed only in New Zealand. They have a narrow black band on the neck and a wide chestnut band on the breast during the breeding season. Eggs, usually grey-green with small dark spots, are laid from August to early November in shallow scrapes lined with pebbles. Poaka or pied stilts will also fake injuries to draw predators away from their nests. If this doesn’t work, they have been known to ‘dive-bomb’ intruders, and making lots of noise. These black and white birds nest on the ground near water, usually in groups. Quite common in New Zealand, their numbers are declining.