Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Dotterel chick nests from Waihi Beach to Bowentown destroyed

By Rebecca Mauger
Bay of Plenty Times·
21 Nov, 2021 09:40 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A protective dotterel parent spies the camera while brooding at Waihi Beach. Photos / Rebecca Mauger

A protective dotterel parent spies the camera while brooding at Waihi Beach. Photos / Rebecca Mauger

The miracle of birth — or the miracle of hatching — occurred last week when Hauraki Coromandel Post visited the last of the dotterel nests at Waihi Beach.

Waihi Beach's proud new dotterel parents Zig and Zag had their first of three chicks, Stardust, hatch on Thursday. Stardust was then joined by Rebel and the two were running about the cordoned off area by the end of the day. Spider, the third chick, then hatched.

But hopes were not high for their survival and sure enough, two chicks were lost to cat attacks in 48 hours.

Waihi Beach Dot Watch volunteer Pippa Coombes says it would have been a miracle had they survived.

The birds have now abandoned the nest and moved on to Brighton Reserve, Pippa says, which has more foot traffic.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Waihi Beach was the last dotterel nest in the area, with chicks from Waihi Beach to Bowentown. All the other nests have been destroyed by predators.

It's been a devastating season for the environmental group, which has been doing its best to keep people, pets and predators away.

Zig and Zag set up their home at popular Waihi Beach's main north beach right in front of Waihi Beach Surf Lifeguard Services. It's been a struggle to keep people and their animals away from the nesting area, administration manager and Dot Watch volunteer Mel Gearon says.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The lifeguards were wonderful, she says, sprinting out to direct people away from the birds. Sandbags were put close to the nest to curb the tide and signs were out.

The two dotterels — which are among 2500 New Zealand dotterels left — kept guard on their chicks as best as they could. They try to scare humans away and sometimes even fake injury to distract people.

Dot Watch had seen many dogs still off their leads and cat prints leading up to the nest every day. They ask for dogs to be on leads and to keep local cats inside at night at Brighton reserve and any other dotterel nest areas that may pop up along the shore.
"From dusk until dawn is when they are most vulnerable."

Other predators that put eggs and chicks at risk are hedgehogs, rats and the black-backed seagull.

Discover more

New Zealand

Eastern BOP raids: Drugs and firearms seized, multiple arrests

18 Nov 09:12 PM

Dawn Picken: Thanks to the silent majority

19 Nov 10:00 PM
New Zealand|education

Bay of Plenty primary school closes after likely Covid-19 case

18 Nov 08:03 AM

They're hoping the birds re-nest again in December.

There are about five dotterel pairs in the area and more are expected to come next year from Coromandel.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty TimesUpdated

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

02 Jul 09:19 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Scary stuff': Locals on crash corner fear it will take a death to get it fixed

02 Jul 09:11 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Game-changer': Western BoP a step closer to Govt deal unlocking housing, jobs

02 Jul 09:05 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

02 Jul 09:19 PM

A severe thunderstorm watch is in place for the region tonight.

'Scary stuff': Locals on crash corner fear it will take a death to get it fixed

'Scary stuff': Locals on crash corner fear it will take a death to get it fixed

02 Jul 09:11 PM
'Game-changer': Western BoP a step closer to Govt deal unlocking housing, jobs

'Game-changer': Western BoP a step closer to Govt deal unlocking housing, jobs

02 Jul 09:05 PM
Tauranga's Young Grower to compete on national stage

Tauranga's Young Grower to compete on national stage

02 Jul 09:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP