New names for our hooded plovers
We asked and you answered. Find out the names of Port Willunga’s favourite love birds as voted by you.
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- Hooded plover breeding season underway on the Fleurieu Peninsula
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The votes are in and Port Willunga’s favourite love birds have officially been named.
More than a hundred people responded to our poll and have selected Harvey and Daphne as the names for a pair of hooded plovers.
The birds – who have been together at Port Willunga for almost a decade – are currently known as “DP” (the female) and “HV” (the male) due to the codes on their tags.
It was these tags that inspired their new names.
Other contenders included “Rhonda and Ketut”, “Will and Star” and “Will and Portia”.
Despite being together longer than any other plover couple in Onkaparinga, none of Harvey and Daphne’s chicks born in the past three years have survived.
Their latest chicks, which only hatched last week, were likely killed by a predator.
Harvey and Daphne have again started preparing a nest and are expected to lay more eggs shortly.
They become easily frightened by human activity and are susceptible to a range of predators, including dogs.
The council is urging the community to keep their dogs leashed while at the beach and to stay out of exclusion zones.
However, there was some good news for Harvey and Daphne this week, their pal Sandy from Seacliff stopped by for a visit.
Sandy is quite the adventurous plover and was spotted at Semaphore a couple of months ago,
so bird watchers were quite surprised to see him at Port Willunga.
Regular breeding sites within Onkaparinga include Moana Beach, Ochre Cove Beach, Maslin Beach, Port Willunga Beach, Aldinga Beach and Port Stanvac.