Hooded plover breeding season is underway on the Fleurieu Peninsula
One of Onkaparinga’s greatest love stories is tinged with tragedy as the best-known beach-nesting breeding pair of hooded plovers lose their latest chicks, but there is hope for more.
SA News
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Battling against the odds, breeding pairs of vulnerable hooded plovers are nesting on Fleurieu Peninsula beaches.
Volunteers called Hoodie Helpers monitor, protect and raise awareness of the bird’s plight, but with limited success.
Last season, from August to March, 33 breeding pairs made 86 attempts to nest, producing 223 eggs and 46 chicks.
Just 10 young plovers learned to fly, but unfortunately none of the chicks from the region survived. Onkaparinga Mayor Erin Thompson said volunteers at Port Willunga had high hopes for one particular pair, known only as DP and HV from the codes on their tags, after having monitored the couple for almost a decade.
“They’ve been together longer than any other pair the region, successfully raising four chicks over eight years,” she said. “However the pair has not had any chicks survive in the last three years.”
Sadly, their latest chicks, which hatched on September 23, have already died.
“Hooded plover chicks have a low chance of survival because they cannot fly for the first five weeks; become easily frightened by human activity and are susceptible to a range of predators, including dogs,” Ms Thompson said.
“The chicks have to feed themselves from day one, eating insects such as sand hoppers on the beach. So if they are busy hiding from people and dogs, they aren’t getting a chance to eat and this can lead to starvation.”
