At the end of November, 2021 two northern New Zealand dotterel chicks hatched and they were quickly actively foraging.
Once hatched dotterel chicks have to immediately feed themselves. The well-camouflaged chicks are tiny and hard to see, and their parents are kept busy trying to keep up with them and protect them.
They need their space to get enough food, and they stop feeding and squat to hide if disturbed. When disturbed too often the chicks will starve, so please watch for them and try to give them their space.
Often the parent dotterels scream an alarm call when someone is getting too close, but we humans will ignore it because it isn't very loud for us. Please listen and watch along Snells Beach as the protected endemic dotterels are easily missed and are at risk. They need the community's help to survive.
There is an additional nest where adult dotterels are incubating and egg, and two other pairs of dotterels have been observed trying to find a place to nest.
Photos by Bec Swan and Alan France:
