14 December 2005

The endangered NZ Dotterel/Tuturiwhatu is now well into its nesting season on our local beaches. There are only 1500 NZ Dotterel left in the world and, at the last count, the west coast of the North Island (between Port Waikato and Taharoa) is lucky enough to be home to 17 of these rare birds. These west coast birds are geographically separated from other NZ Dotterel, and are thought to form a unique ‘race' of the species. Without public support, we are at risk of losing our remaining birds altogether.

The NZ Dotterel is currently facing extinction. They are very vulnerable to human disturbance. This is because they nest on open beaches and sandspits just above the high water mark. The nests and baby chicks are very hard to see, so are easily crushed by people or vehicles. NZ Dotterel pretend to be injured to distract people from their nests, so if you see a Dotterel pretending to be injured, it is a sign that a nest is nearby.

The NZ Dotterel breeding season is from September to February. During this time, the public can help NZ Dotterels to nest in peace by:

• keeping below the high tide mark when walking on the beach.
• keeping dogs on leashes.
• not taking vehicles such as quad bikes or 4WDs onto beaches where Dotterels are known to be nesting.