SUPPLEMENT TO A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO MANAGING BEACH NESTING BIRDS IN AUSTRALIA. Grainne Maguire, Meghan Cullen, Glenn Ehmke and Chris Purnell December 2010 This supplement contains resources and materials developed by or in collaboration with Birds Australia s Beach nesting Birds Project (January 2008 December 2010) through funding from the Australian Governmentʹs Caring for our Country. Birds Australia s Beach nesting Birds Project The BNB project has been running from 2006 to present and is one of the most successful conservation projects for a threatened species recovery in Australia. Through adaptive on ground management, community participation, public and school education, and a comprehensive monitoring program, Hooded Plovers the flagship species for beachnesting bird conservation are experiencing increased breeding success and we are finding that we are able to give birds on busy beaches an equal chance of producing young to those on remote control sites which are not impacted by people. In this supplement you will find a series of resources to help you with management and education related to beach nesting birds conservation. 1
Table of Contents: Education kit....pages 3 8 Online identification guide My Hoodie..page 8 Research papers and Honours theses....page 9 Signage.page 10 Wardening...page 11 Events.... pages 11 12 BNB Flier for seaside accommodation.....pages 13 14 BNB Information sheet for coastal walks...page 15 Appendix 1 Wardening guidelines.......pages 16 19 Appendix 2 Warden must knows....page 20 Appendix 3 Interesting facts sheet pages 21 22 2
Education Kit Beach-nesting Birds Education Kit Introduction Birds Australia Education Sessions are an important awareness raising conservation tool. School age children and their families are likely to spend a large amount of time on the beach over the summer period the peak breeding time for beach nesting birds. By increasing their understanding of Hooded Plovers and other beach nesting birds, there is an increased chance that children (and their families) will follow appropriate beach behaviour to help conserve these threatened birds. Furthermore, by targeting young children, these conservation messages are likely to influence their appreciation and use of the beach into future generations. Many of the education sessions and resources include the creation of awareness raising materials that can be used locally, in turn aiding in educating the general public. Incursions There are two in class education sessions available to schools, depending on the age, time available and the number of students. Session 1 Ages: Prep Year 8 Class size: 1 2 classes Time: 30 45 minutes Description: In this interactive Powerpoint session students learn about beach nesting birds, the threats that they face and how they can help. This session asks the children many questions, gives them a chance to talk about their own experiences with birds or on the beach, and they even get a chance to search for Hooded Plover nests, learning firsthand how hard they are to spot and the benefits and problems with camouflage. The presentation is based primarily on photographs (Fig. 1), meaning with a small amount of content/language variation, it can be made suitable for any primary school age group (and even early secondary school ages). Figure 1. Examples of the slides used in the school education Powerpoint presentation. 3
The presentation can also be adapted to have more of a local flavour adding photographs of local beaches where the birds are found, hearing some examples of what is happening in their area to protect the birds and even some examples of little stories about their local birds (e.g. any stories about rescue, near misses with threats, banded birds and their history). Session 2 Ages: Grade 2 Year 8 Class size: 1 class (<30 students) Time: 1 hour (dependant on age) Materials: Role Play Cards (laminated if possible) Mask templates (or heavy paper) Elastic or stick to hold mask Scissors Glue and/or sticky tape Pencils/crayons/markers Decorative materials (paint/glitter/stickers/material) Description: This is a story activity based on the life of the Hooded Plover. This session begins with students being given a character for the role play, such as a Hooded Plover adult, chick or egg, or a predator or threat. Then the students make a mask for their character based on templates provided (see Fig. 2a for examples). Provide the children with lots of different options to decorate their masks, such as pencils, paint, glitter or fabric especially for some of the less interesting looking options, such as the eggs (Fig 2b). Also provide pictures of each character so the students have ideas for colours. Depending on time available set the students an amount of time to decorate, for example 15 minutes. The story cards (example Fig. 2c) are placed in a circle on the floor and each student finds their place based on their character. The scene is set and each student (in costume/mask) reads from their card. The story begins with a pair of Hooded Plovers returning from their winter flock to their breeding beach and follows them through the breeding season, through the hardships of nest failure and the achievement of raising a young until it reaches flying age (fledges). 4
Figure 2. Example of (a) mask cut outs, (b) examples for decorating masks, and (c) the role play cards used during the Hooded Plover life role play session (see attachments for full role play slides/masks) a) b) c) This session is most suitable for grade 2 s up to early secondary school. The reading on the cards and the time limits on creating masks makes it difficult to run with the younger students and it is still advised to always check with the teacher if there are any children who would feel uncomfortable reading allowed and resolve this before the story session begins. Once the students have completed the story, discuss with them the different threats and potential solutions. During this conclusion it is also recommended to provide some information on their local Hooded Plovers and what they can do to help them. 5
Note: To adapt this for younger ages, the masks could be made after they have heard the presentation in session 1, or a similar structure could be followed and an adult could read out the cards as a story and each child could act out their card as it is read. Activities In addition to these base education sessions, schools are able to take things one step further and get involved with the conservation of their local beach nesting birds: 1. Building Chick shelters (Fig 3a). Chick shelters are used as an on site conservation tool. They provide artificial shelter for chicks to hide in when disturbed, or as protection from extreme temperatures. Designs have been tried and tested and the design used and presented in this kit is readily used by Hooded Plover chicks and successfully helps to increase breeding success. Time: 15 30 minutes per shelter Age: Grades 4 Year 8 (although with sufficient help/supervision younger students could also create shelters i.e. as a prep/year 6 buddy activity) Supervision: This activity needs as many helpers as possible (1 adult to every 4 5 students). Materials (to make 1 chick shelter): - 300 400mm x 400mm panel of 12 mm thick exterior plywood (x2) - wooden crossbeam 25 x 25 mm section of garden stake (x1) - screws or nails (x6) - Hammer or drill (depending on helpers available) - Clear, water proof outdoor decking stain - Glue - Paint (for message) - Sand from local beach (optional) Instructions: Lay one plywood piece on the ground and the other standing up right so they join to create a right angle. Then lay the crossbeam on the inside of the join and attach using screws/nails. Students can paint a message (such as chick shelter, please leave on beach on the INSIDE of the shelter it is great to get the students to brain storm ideas for effective messages before they begin. On the outside of the shelter they then paint the water proof decking stain and add some glue and sand to help camouflage the shelter. The sand is an optional step. Note: Placement in the field is extremely important and should be undertaken only by trained local land managers or volunteers, or by Birds Australia staff. However a smaller group of students may be invited to help with this step. 6
2. Awareness raising banners or posters (Fig 3b). These posters/banners can be used around the school, township or on the beach to help raise community awareness of the Hooded Plover. Time: 0.5 3 hours Age: Any Supervision: One or two extra helpers, depending on age group. Materials: Posters can be made simply using paper and pencils, or cardboard and paint. Banners are constructed on large sheets of calico and painted with fabric paint. Be creative and use scraps of material, recycle things from school or other ideas that make these creations a little more eye catching than usual! Instructions: Before beginning this exercise discuss potential uses with school community, Birds Australia, coastal land managers, local council and shop owners. These posters could be used on the beach to inform users of nests or chicks, in shop windows to raise general awareness, at community events or school fetes. Students can begin with brainstorming potential conservation messages and designs. They then use a range of materials to create posters, signs or banners. Secondary students can incorporate this into an art subject and use more advanced techniques. 3. Craft ideas are fun for kids and are a subtle way for raising awareness. There are many craft activities that can be adapted to focus on the Hooded Plover, however two that have potential to raise awareness in the community are painting of calico bags and felt badges. Figure 3. Kids activities including (a) building chick shelters and (b) painting awareness banners. a) b) 7
Online education resources Birds Australia, in conjunction with Culture Victoria, has also gone on line with Hooded Plover education. Together with a team of filmmakers, artists and animators they have created amazing interactive animations, fun to watch and educational! Thereʹs a mockdocumentary ʺProfessor Featherbone presents the greatest threat to birdsʺ, which features Julian Chapple in a safari suit and waxed moustache (www.cv.vic.gov.au/stories/the wing thing beach birds/10432/professor featherbonepresents the greatest threat to birds). It is an ART EXTRAVAGANZA! Kids can enter comic strip, picture, poem, story or film making competitions ( www.birdsaustralia.com.au /beach). And as a part of this endeavour there is the WING THING (Fig. 4), a 12pp children s publication that can be downloaded from the website and has been distributed to a number of coastal primary schools and other coastal education providers. Figure 4. The exciting new children s mini magazine, with fun activities and information on the Hooded Plover, plus plenty of arty competitions to enter. Online identification guide My Hoodie My Hoodie is a new online resource to help volunteers and observers better understand the behaviours of Hooded Plovers and provides photographic and video identification guides for aging chicks, recognising behaviours and identifying different colourmarking systems. Visit: www.birdsaustralia.com.au/myhoodie 8
Research papers and Honours theses Below are a series of research papers and theses produced under the beach nesting birds project. Research Papers Glover, H. K., Weston, M. A., Maguire, G. S., Miller, K. K. and Christie, B. A. (submitted) Towards ecologically meaningful and socially acceptable buffers: Response distances of shorebirds in Victoria, Australia, to human disturbance Maguire, G. S., Stojanovic, D. and Weston M. A. (2009) Conditioned taste aversion reduces fox depredation on model eggs on beaches. Wildlife Research 36: 702 208. Maguire, G. S., Duivenvoorden, A. K., Weston, M. A., and Adams, R. (2010) Provision of artificial shelter on beaches is associated with improved shorebird fledging success. Bird Conservation International online early publication. Maguire, G. S., Miller, K. K., Weston, M. A. and Young, K. (submitted) Being beside the seaside: beach use and preferences among coastal residents of south eastern Australia. Stojanovic, D., Maguire, G., Weston, M. A., Dickman, C. R. and Crowther, M. S. (2009) Attempted incubation and nest maintenance behaviour of artificially deployed quail egg clutches by Hooded Plovers Thinornis rubricollis. Wader Study Group Bulletin 116: 41 43. Weston, M. A., Ehmke, G. C. and Maguire, G. (2009) Manage one beach or two? Movements and space use of the threatened hooded plover (Thinornis rubricollis) in south eastern Australia. Wildlife Research 36: 289 298. Weston, M. A., Ehmke, G. C. and Maguire, G. (in press) Nest Return Times in Response to Static Versus Mobile Human Disturbance. Journal of Wildlife Management. Williams, K. J. H., Weston, M. A., Henry, S. and Maguire, G. S. (2009) Birds and Beaches, Dogs and Leashes: Dog Ownersʹ Sense of Obligation to Leash Dogs on Beaches in Victoria, Australiaʹ, Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 14:2, 89 101. Honours Theses Parental Care and Breeding Ecology of Red capped Plovers (Charadrius ruficapillus) Jessica Bywater, Deakin University The effects of urbanisation on reproductive success and parental care in the masked lapwing Vanellus miles Adam Cardilini, Deakin University 9
Signage Additional signage has been developed and wording has been adapted to different sites over time. There are fundamentally several types of signs available: Permanent signs for access points Temporary signs flanking nest sites (available online at: www.birdsaustralia.com.au/our projects/management resources ) 10
Wardening The presence of volunteers or summer rangers at a beach when the birds are actively nesting greatly improves compliance with signage and beach regulations, and becomes essential for heavily visited beach areas in some of the following scenarios, e.g. when there are recently hatched chicks, when the beach is small and there is little room for stationary beach visitors, when a nest is situated near swim flags, when a public event is occurring at the beach, etc. Resources (see Appendices) 1. Guidelines for wardens 2. Must knows for wardens 3. Interesting facts sheet Events Flyers for advertising events: Dogs breakfast/supper events 11
Children s activities Training workshops General information sessions 12
BNB Flier for seaside accommodation 13
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BNB Information sheet for coastal walks For walkers Part of the beauty of the Australian coast lies in its rare and unique wildlife. Our beaches are home to a special group of birds who are highly adapted to a coastal lifestyle. They do not live in trees or build a nest of twigs or straw, but they lay their amazingly camouflaged eggs on the beach or dune itself with no need for more than a simple scrape as the nest! In an ideal world (as it once was prior to man!), these birds raised their tiny chicks to flying age in peace and quiet. Now their beach homes are so heavily used by people that they struggle to breed successfully. Their eggs and chicks are in danger of being stepped on, and regular (i.e. lots of passers by) or prolonged (i.e. a person sitting too close to a nest) disturbance is the cause of most breeding failure. You can help! During August to March: Do not venture up onto the upper beach or into the dune stick to the wet sand. Look out for these birds choose a lunch spot wisely, i.e. at least 100 metres away from the birds. If you re lucky, you might see a bird on its nest or even the chicks if the parents haven t seen you first and warned them into hiding. For guides There is great opportunity for guides of coastal walks to raise awareness about beach nesting birds and this in turn adds value to people s experience seeing these threatened and rare birds and the possibility of a nest or chicks. It is important to ensure your group does no harm when visiting their home. Your company could become a valuable part of their conservation by keeping a log of what you see (see example of attached log form) and there is the opportunity to highlight this involvement in active conservation monitoring to the group. 15
Appendices 1. Wardening guidelines Being Guardian to Hooded Plover chicks Your presence as a warden can make the difference between the life and death of chicks of the threatened Hooded Plover. In their first two weeks of life, they are tiny and flightless, and it takes a lot of running to move to and from their feeding and hiding places. They hatch from an egg the size of a twenty cent coin and within one hour, they have to be up and finding food. The parents role is to warn them of approaching danger and to distract away predators. The chicks are very prone to being stepped on, predated by gulls, kestrels, ravens, foxes and dogs, and if they spend too long in hiding, starvation and dehydration. The chances of dying decline as they get older, as they rapidly grow to be similar in size to their parents but they still can t fly until they are 5 weeks old, so the risks are still there but less extreme. The signs and fences that go up around the nesting site offer the nest great protection, but when the eggs hatch, the chicks are very mobile and can move as far as 2 km in their search for food. They may stay in the one general area, or they may roam between several good feeding areas daily. In areas with limited natural cover, we distribute wooden shelters every 50 metres along the beach, giving them shelters to run to hide in if they are threatened by people, dogs or other predators. This improves their chances greatly. However, nothing compares to having a person on site to talk to beach users as they pass by the breeding area especially if the chicks aren t staying within the signed or fenced area. Sometimes the public mightn t see the signs or they might misinterpret the guidelines, and by having someone there to explain the risks and how to minimize these, not only do beach users receive education on a personal level which has a more lasting impact than reading a sign, but they can ask questions and receive the information they need to do the right thing. For the minority of beach users that are actively not complying with the guidelines, the presence of a volunteer warden lends authority to signage and improves compliance. Thank you for participating in looking after the Hooded Plovers. The parents do a pretty good job at defending their chicks from predators but when you add so many people and dogs to the mix, they can t cope and need the extra help. 16
Below is some advice to ensure that 1) no harm is done to the chicks by the presence of the warden and 2) the warden is prepared for the range of reactions that they might encounter. HOW TO MINIMISE DISTURBANCE TO THE CHICKS It is important to remember that even a volunteer could accidentally do harm if they are not trained and if they are not aware of the fragility of the chicks. If the parents spot you first, they will hide the chicks and once hidden, they are impossible to spot meaning you could step on them if you don t know exactly where they are hidden! So always approach the area along the water s edge and slowly, looking ahead to see where the group are. Do not walk up onto the mid to upper beach or into the dunes. Always have a good look around for predators in the area before you approach if there are birds of prey, ravens or big groups of gulls, really keep your distance and don t approach the family as you could inadvertently alert predators to the chicks presence. Position yourself in a spot where you can see the family of birds but where you are far away enough so they are not disturbed about 100m it might be more for some birds, you may have to judge this by waiting and seeing whether they bring their chicks out of hiding if they don t, move away a bit and reassess. It is also good to be a fair distance from the birds because this means if there is someone with an off leash dog that is running ahead of its owner, then you have time to talk to the owner before the dog reaches the chicks. YOUR ROLE AS WARDEN Your primary role is to raise awareness of the nest or chicks in the area, and to be there to actively point out which part of the beach is the area to be avoided by the public. Secondly you are there to encourage compliance and to point out behaviours that minimize risks to the birds, so 1) dog leashing, 2) walking by the water s edge past the area, and 3) not remaining in the area (or within 100m of the birds). While you don t have the authority to enforce the rules, you will have the phone numbers of support staff that manage the park who can enforce the rules. Most people will comply once provided with education, but there are a minority that will not want to hear about rules or who may even be aggressive. Do not put yourself in any danger and discontinue conversation if it is becoming aggressive or threatening. Never let yourself lose your temper. You have support to turn to, so instead, call the rangers or manager to help you. SUGGESTED OPENING LINES You should be wearing a volunteer name badge and hat. You should also have some brochures and stickers to hand out, and perhaps a few dog leashes with you. With most people, you will only have a minute or two to convey your message. 17
So firstly introduce yourself briefly: Hi, I m a volunteer with Parks Victoria (or Birds Australia) then go straight into a short sentence about the situation: I just wanted to let you know that you are about to walk past an area where there are chicks of an endangered bird on the beach. They can t fly and need a small area free of people to feed. and then a sentence that requests behaviour that will minimize threat to the birds, e.g. and could you please leash your dog when you pass through this area and stick to the water s edge. Thank you. Could you please keep to the water s edge as you move through this area, thank you. (sorry) I m going to have to ask you to move outside of the signed area as the chicks are in hiding and will starve if they can t come out to feed. If the conversation becomes heated or someone is aggressive towards you, just walk away and call the ranger or a Birds Australia staff contact. You may spend the whole day at a site and so will not necessarily need to talk to everyone. You can sit in a prominent place (wearing your name badge and volunteer hat) and keep an eye on visitors to make sure they are walking along water s edge. You can just smile or wave at most passers by. When you see people doing something that will put the birds at risk, you should approach them in plenty of time before they reach the area. COMMON REACTIONS Some information collated from Birds Australia volunteers and staff: 74% of face to face encounters are positive (n=340). People s most common reactions are: Apologetic about doing wrong thing Unaware of birds and threats horrified when they realise the impacts (such as the death of a chick) General desire to do no harm Interest in a threatened species, especially having one locally and accessible People want to join mailing lists or read nest updates Not phased by using different section of beach if within reach (often the case of asking people to move 100 200 metres) What a stupid bird, nesting on a busy beach here it can be useful to remark that the beaches weren t always this busy and there are so few now that aren t accessible so they have no choice Can t you just move the nest they re highly adapted to life on the beach and choose spots where there is enough food to raise young if there was a better 18
spot for the nest, they would have made that choice last thing they d want to do is nest amongst people but we happen to coincide with their most suitable habitat. Negative reactions and non compliance most commonly come from dog walkers and some surfers. Surfers have shown aggression (related to territoriality) but please note, there are many surfers who are very environmentally aware and who do comply I walk here everyday and the birds are still here (the impacts are invisible to the untrained eye, e.g. nests get stepped on without people knowing it, chicks starve to death and people can t see the immediate impact of their behaviour. Also, the adults are long lived and so it will be years before the true impact is seen when the adults die and there are no young to replace them.) I can t see them (disbelief! It helps to have binoculars to show people the birds as they are quite small and difficult to see) I know all about the hoodies (selective knowledge from people that prefer to continue to doing the wrong thing. Here it becomes important to say things like yes I thought that myself but they have been well studied and they actually and correct them politely) Foxes are the main problem (redirecting blame good to point out things like, well yes foxes are a problem in many areas but managers are working on control but on most busy beaches, it is people and dogs that are the number one threats and when we manage these, the birds are able to breed successfully) You re doing more damage fencing the nest (redirecting blame here you just need to point out the research that shows signage and fencing actually improves breeding success on busy beaches giving the birds the same chance at producing young as birds that live on remote beaches when nests aren t fenced, they have 95% or even greater chance of failing due to crushing or disturbance in these environments) My dog doesn t chase the birds, he s no threat (lack of understanding it is the mere presence of a 4 legged mammal that disturbs the birds they perceive all dogs as predators, just like foxes and so will react the same to a dog chasing them or one just passing by. It is the disturbance that can add up to eggs baking on sand or chicks starving because they ve spent too long in hiding also dogs occasionally predate eggs and chicks.) What have you got against my dog? (people can take requests for leashing very personally good to point out that it is the birds perception of dogs that we can t change as they are a small vulnerable animal whose natural instinct is to react to larger animals that have the ability to harm them we only want to give these birds a chance at survival) Questionnaire results: Few dog owners thought their dog would pose a threat to beach nesting birds, however, thought other people s dogs posed a great threat! Most dog owners believed chasing and barking to be main threats not distance from the birds (disturbance) so this is what we need to explain to them. 19
2. Warden must knows Safety of birds - A volunteer could kill the chicks if not aware of the risks by stepping on them when they are crouching (impossible to see) or by sitting too close so the birds don t feed the whole time you are there. - The chicks can roam far from original nest site and each time the volunteer arrives at the site, the location of chicks could vary. - Priority is to spot parents first and expect the chicks to be near. - Not to approach family of birds or to move through or past area above high tide mark. - Judging distance from birds to settle yourself can vary between pairs and according to site will be a judgement call based on when parents bring chicks out of hiding and whether they return to feeding this must happen, if not comfortable that they feel safe, move further away. - It is an advantage being a fair distance from the birds because if you see someone with an off leash dog that is running ahead of its owner, then you have time to talk to the owner before the dog reaches the breeding area. Work out which direction most people come from. Hints on dealing with public - Volunteer speaking to public will often be the public s first introduction to this bird. It has to be a positive experience so public don t become resentful of the birds because of the person that has educated them. - If someone is doing the wrong thing, don t point this out as an introduction instead lead to this point by informing them that there are chicks of a threatened bird on the beach and they are extremely vulnerable. - Remember most people don t have a clue about the birds or their impact, what they are doing isn t deliberate so don t lose sight of this. - Don t raise your voice or be aggressive if you have a short temper, walk away and call a ranger to deal with it. - Main things you want public to do are: to keep to water s edge past the chick area, not to pause or settle in this area and to leash their dog or to walk alternative direction with dog. - Achieve the above by giving them the alternatives, i.e. directing them to where they can sit, pointing ahead where the birds are, offering them a look through binoculars. - They may be breaking dog rule by having dog in no dog area, or having dog off lead, or dog after 9am in the park for example. Inform them of the rules and you could say that the rangers were just in the area and to avoid a fine they should or you could explain that these rules are there because the MP is a National Park and such important habitat for the birds. - If they have a child, give a sticker. If they seem interested, give a brochure. If they don t have a lead with them, give them a lead. 20
3. Interesting facts sheet The species Nationally, the hoodie is not listed as threatened because the stronghold of the species is in Western Australia where there are over 2000 birds. They can nest inland and year round in WA so experience less human pressure but they are thought to be a different subspecies they even look different! In their Eastern range, they are highly threatened. Critically endangered in NSW (50 birds left), Vulnerable in Victoria (400 450 in population, declined from 600 in 1980s), Vulnerable in South Australia (600 800 in population) and in Tassie, about 1000 in the population. 1 of only 2 completely dependent beach nesters in Australia (the other is the Beach Stone curlew in Northern Australia). Hooded Plovers are threatened because their eggs and chicks have one of the lowest survival rates of any bird in the world. You would expect hoodies to have a naturally high rate of nest failure as they are long lived (10 17 years) BUT humans have upset the balance and completely altered and overwhelmed their beach habitat. The eggs Hooded Plover eggs are the colour of sand and as small as 20 cent coins. The nest is just a simple, shallow, bowl like scrape. Nests can be anywhere above high tide mark, on beach or dunes or rocky points behind beaches. Hooded Plovers are very clever when it comes to protecting their eggs and chicks from natural threats like ravens and gulls, by distancing themselves from the highly camouflaged eggs or chicks so the predator can t find them. Hoodies can recollect their eggs after a tide washes them out of the nest and rebuild a nest around them, and often these eggs will still hatch! Incubation lasts 28 days. They don t start incubating until they have finished laying. The sand can reach temperatures over 60 degrees Celsius and to keep the eggs cool on hot days, the birds wet their bellies in the sea and take frequent turns at sitting on the eggs they often changeover by huddling together, one shuffling off the nest and the other shuffling on! The chicks The chicks don t stay in the nest. They have to feed themselves from as young as an hour old. The chicks need to feed mainly at the water s edge and need several hundred metres of beach to get enough food for survival. 21
The chicks cannot fly for five weeks (35 days) after hatching. The parents pretend to have a broken wing, or flap and crouch on the ground, running like a mouse, to try and distract people away from their chicks. They are fearless and will do this to dogs, people and foxes, trying to make themselves an attractive enticement to the potential predator so their chicks will be left alone. Only 50% of chicks that fledge, will then survive their first year. Threats If you sit too close to a nest on a day over 35 degrees this keeps the adult off the eggs and is enough to kill the embryos inside within half an hour or less. Chasing and killing is not the main way that dogs impact nesting Hooded Plovers. Instead, disturbance of incubating birds or feeding chicks prevents eggs from hatching or the chicks from surviving, and dogs also accidentally crush eggs. It only takes one person to disregard the regulations (e.g. cut through the dunes) to kill the eggs or chicks. On busy beaches many small disturbances can mean that chicks cannot feed for extended periods, causing them to starve. Management Staying clear of signed and/or fenced areas where birds are nesting gives them a much greater chance of nesting success: nests on busy beaches fail without protection, but with fencing/signing, they have an equal chance of fledging chicks to birds on remote beaches. A small wooden shelter placed on the beach can give the chicks a safe hiding place and increase their chance of survival by up to 75%. Behaviours Belly wetting to keep eggs cool Broken wing or rodent run to distract predators away from chicks Leading when a person/terrestrial predator approaches the nest, they will run down from its location (to keep nest hidden) and will run in front of person/predator, pausing for you to keep up, thinking they are leading you out of the area once far enough away, they will run or fly back to nest. False pecking when they run away from the nest they will often pretend to feed, or act as though nothing is going on, pecking at the ground but watching you closely out of one eye! They are great actors! 22