There are two pairs of hooded plovers along Buckley Park Foreshore that have two chicks each.
One pair, PL (orange) and unbanded, have a habitat east of Turtle Rock. There are two chicks that are due to fledge on 9 March after hatching on 2 February and will spend another two weeks on the ground feeding, resting, running and hiding, camouflaging from threats and being brooded by their ever vigilant parents.
Another pair of hoodies – HY (orange) the mum and HE (white) the dad – are located west of Turtle Rock. They also have two chicks that are due to fledge on 18 March after hatching on 11 February. There are also two chicks at Breamlea’s Stingray Bay.
The land managers are Barwon Coast, but dog regulations are managed by City of Greater Geelong.
The pair that nest between 10W and 11W, which is along the dog beach in Ocean Grove, have a nest of three eggs, due to hatch in the next week or so. This pair had one fledgling survive last year, but so far this breeding season they have had several chicks that have not.
Hatching is always met with much excitement, but we also quietly hold our breath as we know that they are ‘not out of the woods’ yet.
Our aim is to give hoodies on the nest, or with chicks, space so they can go about incubating eggs and protecting and guiding their offspring to hide from threats.
Trained BirdLife volunteers provide education and communication to beach goers and dog walkers near the breeding sites. We love it when we can show the community (using the binoculars or the scope) how special and resilient birds are. We also create a better understanding of their vulnerability.
It’s wonderful when we see positive change within the community when they visit the beach and they see the signage and fenced areas or chat with a volunteer and then decide to avoid the area.
Hoodie conservation requires a collaborative approach and it’s wonderful when another fledgling is added to the population.
– Natasha Verbeek, coordinator Bellarine Hooded Plovers
