Dotterel - Waiheke

A threatened bird species on Waiheke Island, a special program at Whakanewha Regional Park allows for these birds to breed without being disturbed. Their feathers will change from red-brown to almost white transparent, depending on the season. Dotterels nest in sandy area's, shell banks, dunes and are easy targets for cats etc. Breeding season is from August to December with having 2 or 3 eggs coloured with brown blotches. Incubation by female is 28 to 30 days.

Did you know that the endangered species, the dotterel is a Waiheke native? Dotterels nest each year along the beach at Rocky Bay’s Whakanewha Reserve and occasionally can be spotted among the flotsam at Surfdale, too. There are only about 1500 dotterels on the North Island of New Zealand. They are an endangered species because they nest on beaches and are easily frightened off by dogs, predators, people and four wheel drives which also frequent the shore line. Even kite flying scares them because kites resemble hawks. At the Whakanewha Reserve, dotterel nesting areas are marked and people and their pets are asked to be mindful of them. It’s a series business avoiding extinction so please help by steering well clear of nesting birds. Dotterels nest from September to Christmas and both the male and female bird take turns guarding eggs. The males sit on the nest at night so they suffer from attacks by cats or stoats more than the females. The speckled eggs are hard to find because they are so well camouflaged in the sand of the beach. But, if you see a little bird hopping away with a broken wing, it is probably the mother dotterel trying to make you follow her away from her eggs or chicks. If you stay around too long, she will abandon the next for good and her fledglings will not survive. On Waiheke, the local Waiheke Dotterel Guardian Charitable Trust protects the dotterels by trapping pests that eat birds or eggs. Last year the group caught 16 feral cats and we enjoyed a successful breeding season with eight pairs having fledglings. Help us save the species and enjoy the bush walks at Whakanewha Reserve instead.

Official Waiheke Website

photo courtesy - www.haurakigalleries.com