How can I Help?• LearntoidentifyHoodies.Iftheyarepresentatyour
localbeachduringspringandsummer,itislikelytheyarenestingthere.
• Ifyouwalkyourdogalongthebeachduringspringorsummer,pleasekeepthemonaleashandwalkatthewater’sedge.HoodedPloveradultswarntheirchickstohideearlierforlongerperiodswhentheyseeanunleasheddogapproaching.
• Vulnerablenestsaretemporarilyfencedtohelpprotectnestsandchicks.Smallchicksheltersmaybeplacednearbyforprotectionfrompredatorsandextremetemperatures.Whenyouseefences,signsorchicksheltersonthebeach,pleaseobservethefollowing:
– leashyourdog,andwalkatthewater’sedge
– don’tenterthefencedareaornearbysanddunes
– don’tsitorremainnearthefencedorsignedarea.
• Ifyourideyourhorseonthebeach,visitatlowtideandstayclosetothewater’sedge.
• Ifyouareallowedtodriveonabeach,trytostayasclosetothewater’sedgeatlowtideasissafeandpayattentiontoHoodedPloversigns.Donotparknexttofencedareasorsigns.
wHat Is beIng done to Help?Thesignsandfencesareavaluabletoolforprotectingthebirds.Mostbeachgoersdon’tmeanharmtobeach-nestingbirdsandgenerallyonlyneedtobemadeawareofpossibleimpactstheymighthave.BirdsAustraliaresearchshowsthatwhenhighlythreatenednestsitesaresignedorfencedoff,theHoodieshaveamuchgreaterchanceofraisingtheiryoung(theequivalenttoHoodieslivingonisolatedbeaches).
LocalschoolchildrenhavealsomadeHoodiechickshelters.Thesesmall,shadyA-framesareplacedonthebeachwithinthetemporaryfencestoprovideasafehavenforthetinychicks.
WorkingwiththeNormanvilleNaturalResourcesCentre,theNRMBoardrunsDog’sBreakfastinformationsessionsfordogownersandtheirpets.Whilethedogsaretreatedto‘pupcakes’theirownerslearnaboutHoodiesandtheimportanceofkeepingtheirdogsontheleashatbeachesduringtheHoodedPlovernestingseason.
going to the beach?
Watch out for Hoodies!
BirdsofAustraliaandBirdObservationandConservationAustraliaaremergingtoformaneworganisationcalledBirdLifeAustralia,tobelaunchedin2012.
TheAdelaideandMountLoftyRangesNaturalResourcesManagementBoardisworkingwithvolunteers,BirdsAustralia,DepartmentofEnvironmentandNaturalResources,localcouncils(CityofOnkaparinga,DistrictCouncilofYankalilla,CityofVictorHarborandAlexandrinaCouncil)andtheNormanvilleNaturalResourceCentretomonitorandconserveHoodedPloversontheFleurieuPeninsula,SouthAustralia.
Photocredits:BirdsAustralia,GillianRayment–AzoicArts(MaskedLapwing),EmmaStephens,RichardEdwards(fence,chicksheltering,adultonnest),PeterGowerPhotos(HoodedPloveradult)andSharonGillam(HoodedPloveradult-cover).
Local contactsAdelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board205GreenhillRoadEastwoodSA5067Ph:0882739100www.amlrnrm.sa.gov.au
BirdsAustralia|www.birdsaustralia.com.au/beach
©DepartmentofNaturalResources|December2011|FIS91351
PrintedonTudorRP100%recycledAustralian-madepaper
Information about Hooded plovers for users of Fleurieu peninsula southern ocean beaches
v
How Many HoodIes?TherearenotthatmanyHoodedPloversinAustralia.IneasternAustralia(includingSouthAustralia)thereareestimatesof<3,000birdsand<4,000inthewest.InSouthAustralia,therearethoughttobebetween500to800Hoodies.
InSouthAustraliatheHoodedPloverislistedundertheNational Parks and Wildlife Actasvulnerable.Thatmeansitisconsideredtobefacingahighriskofextinctioninthewild.
Itisestimatedthatthereareless than 70 Hooded Plovers left on the Fleurieu Peninsula.Anationalsurveyin2010found37adultsandonejuvenileontheFleurieuPeninsula,butthereareafewinaccessiblebeacheswherebirdsmaylive.
Is It a HoodIe?AdultHoodedploversareabout10cmhighandcanbeidentifiedbytheirblackhood,redcirclearoundtheireye,redbilltippedwithblackandorangestalk-likelegs.Theneckisblackwithawhitebandalongtheback.Theyoungbirdscanbeconfusedwithsomeothershorebirds,butthewhitebandalongthebackoftheneckdistinguishesthemfromotherbirds.
Thereareafewtypesofplovers.HoodedPloversliveandnestonthebeach.Alargertypeofplover,theMaskedLapwing(Vanellus miles)orSpurwingPloverisoftenseennestingonovals,roundabouts,drivewaysandothersitesandmayswoopyouifcomenearitsnestorchicks.MaskedLapwingsdonotnestonthebeach.
TheHoodedPloverisasmallbirdfoundonAustralia’ssouthernoceanbeaches,includingtheFleurieuPeninsula.Thesebirdslikesurfbeachesandliketonestwhereweliketowalk,betweenthehigh-watermarkandinthesanddunes.Hoodiesliveonourbeachesyearround,butmaketheirnestsonthesandfromAugusttoMarch.
HoodIe FactsHoodedPloverThinornis rubricollis
Family:Charadriidae
Other Names:HoodedDotterelorDotterel,(colloquially)Hoodie
VulnerableinSouthAustraliawheretherearearound600birds;fewerthan70HoodedPloversarefoundontheFleurieuPeninsula.
Length:19–23cm,Height:10cmWingspan:36–44cm,Weight:90–100g
Birdslay1–3whiteoryellowish-greyeggswithblackish-brownandinkygreyspots.Theyincubatethemforabout28days.Oncehatched,chicksfollowtheparentsaboutandfindtheirownfoodandcannotflyfor5weeks.
wHy lIve on tHe beacH?Theseawashesupseagrassesandalgaeandother‘beach-wrack’thatinsects,sand-hoppersandothersmallcrittersfeedon.Livingandnestingrightonthebeach,theploversandtheirchicksdon’thavefartogoforafeast.
Sittingonthebeach,youmightthinkthesebirdswouldbeeasytofind.Buttheircoloursblendinwellwiththesand,makingthemhardtospot.
Hoodieslayuptothreeeggsdirectlyonthesandinasimple,shallownestscrape.Bothparentshelplookafterthenestandkeepwatchforpredatorsfor28daysuntiltheeggshatch.Thenthefluffy,flightlesschickshatchandneedtofeedthemselvestogrowfullsizein35days.YoungHoodiescanflyafterfiveweeks.Whendisturbedthechicksstaystillandhide.
cruncH!!! Beingwellcamouflagedandnotmovingmeanspeople,dogs,vehiclesorhorsesonthebeachcanstep,driveorriderightontheeggsorchicks.Ifpeopleordogsstaynearthenesttheycankeeptheparentsawayfromthenest.Thatmeanstheeggsareleftinthesuntobakeorareatriskbeingtakenbynaturalpredatorssuchasgulls,ravensandkestrels.Ifthechicksarealwaysrunningawayorhiding,theywon’tbefeedingandmaystarve.
The more common and swooping
Masked Lapwing or Spur-winged Plover.
wHat Is beIng done to Help?ASouthAustralianRecoveryPlanfortheHoodedPloverwaspreparedin2006.ActionsfromtheRecoveryPlanhavebeenincorporatedintotheSouthernFleurieuCoastalActionPlan(2007).TheCoastalActionPlanhelpssetprioritiesforcoastalconservationfortheAdelaideandMountLoftyRangesNRMBoard,localcouncilsandDepartmentofEnvironmentandNaturalResources.
Nationally,BirdsAustralia,hasdevelopedarangeofpracticalmeasurestoreducethethreatstobeach-nestingbirds,includingHoodedPlover.Thesehavebeencloselymonitoredandtrialed.
Workingwithresearchers,theNRMBoardhasdevelopedaBeachResponsePlanwithlocalcouncilsandvolunteers.
TheBoardcoordinatesanetworkofvolunteerstoobserveHoodedPloveractivityonourFleurieubeaches.Thistrainedanddedicated‘Hoodieteam’monitorbeachesandreportonnestingactivity.Allvolunteersreceivetraining,volunteerregistration,guidelinestomonitoring,datasheetandinstructions.
Basedonnestingactivityreports,theNRMBoardworkswithlocalcouncilsandDepartmentofEnvironmentandNaturalResourcestodecideifthereisaneedtoprotectthenest.Thisisdonebyputtinguptemporarysignsandfencestoidentifynestareastobeach-goers.Thisallowsbeachgoerstobeawareofnestsandstaycleartogivethebirdsandtheirchicksabetterchance.
Keeping your dog on a leash at the beach will help these birds.
