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| Cute: A Hooded Plover chick |
In the local paper there's been these articles about Hooded Plovers and keeping dogs and other things away from beaches during certain times of year so they're not disturbed.
I guess you don't realise how fragile they would be out there on the beach.
This brochure I got has pictures of these tiny birds, just chilling in the sand - it says if the nest is threatened the parents won't go back until the danger has passed - and the eggs or chicks often starve or are killed.
It's nice to see there are steps being taken to increase the chances of chicks surviving, through things such as closing off areas of the beach to dogs and people when the birds are nesting.
It might sound a bit extreme, but I guess it's necessary given the dog-haven the Bellarine Peninsula appears to be, and I know of at least one dune-cruising dog *cough Diesel cough* and something like a nest or bird isn't going to phase him in the slightest.
It's not about getting all "greenie" or anything like that, I guess it's more common sense and seeing the logic in giving the birds some space for a couple of months while they do their thing.
