The Dotterels (contd)

The dotterels who inhabit 'our beach' have a habit, as dotterels do, of just scratching a hole in the sand at roughly the high tide mark and laying their eggs in it. No cleverly crafted nest for them. There the mother sits with great determination day after day until her eggs hatch. Sometimes a storm will blow sand all over her, or a very high tide will wash her and the eggs away.

The chicks are so very cute, like bumble bees with long legs. They mostly have to fend for themselves. Although the parents do hover around and keep an eye on things, they don't 'herd' their brood and keep them close like a duck or hen will.

And therein lies the problem. Firstly, their nests are in very public places, where people like to walk their dogs. And dogs will do what dogs love to do - chase anything that runs. The little birds are at such a very vulnerable stage - the mother on the eggs, and the babies. Once they can fly it is fine, they can get away.

A dotterel watch group has been formed and along with DOC (Dept of Conservation) they have put several measures in place in an attempt to protect the birds. Firstly they have fenced off the nesting areas, but only a single strand wire is permitted.

The council has passed a by-law which bans dogs from the river mouth area and large signs have been erected stating this. Dogs are allowed on the rest of the beach before 7am and after 7pm. People can walk anywhere they like, apart from inside the few roped off nesting places.

This summer I helped the local dotterel watch group to keep an eye on the estuary point area (the second picture - you can see a roped off nesting area in the distance).

If someone came along with a dog we would politely point out the signs to them and request that they remove their dog to another area of the beach (they have 99% of the beach left to exercise their dogs - the beach is at least 3 kilometers or more long).

Some people were great - they saw the signs and just turned around, others stopped and chatted to us,read the information panels about the birds, then went off elsewhere.

But there were some unpleasant reactions. Some reacted very rudely. I was sworn at, told off in no uncertain terms to 'get a life' etc etc. Several people had their dog off the lead and the dog was chasing the birds! Some very firmly said 'I choose to ignore the signs so what are you going to do about it!' And one man had his children with him - what a terrible message to be passing on to the next generation.

All in all the experience has quite altered my faith in mankind. The local people were fine, it was the holiday makers who felt they had the God given right to take their dogs wherever they chose.

I have nothing against dogs by the way! Just the owners who do not take responsibility for them.