Hooded Plover breeding season off to a good start at Ochre Cove
Breeding season has officially begun as Hooded Plovers set up nest at a number of beaches in Adelaide’s south.
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The south’s favourite lovebirds have started setting up nests along the coast in preparation for the breeding season.
A long-term pair of Hooded Plovers have already been seen to lay eggs at Ochre Cove, near Maslin Beach, which has proven to be a popular and successful nesting site.
Another pair has laid three eggs at Moana Sands.
Hooded Plover volunteers will now monitor the nests until March for the remainder of the breeding and fledging season.
The south’s ‘hoodies’ are listed as a vulnerable species in South Australia.
Life isn’t easy for the beach-nesting birds with weather, predators and even people and their pets causing high losses of eggs and chicks each season.
But with 17 chicks reaching their first flights, last season marked the third highest number of chicks to fledge in the past 10 years and just two less fledglings than the best season in 2015-16.
Following last year’s successful season, Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board coast and marine manager Tony Flaherty said he was hopeful a decade of effort is starting to pay-off.
“As the public learns to share the shores with plovers, and more dog owners ‘take the lead’ on the beach, we look forward to another good season ahead,” Mr Flaherty said.
If you’d like to learn more about helping Hooded Plovers or would like to become a Hoodie volunteer, Green Adelaide and the Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board is hosting an information session at Moana on Sunday September 20.