The Whangamata Dotterel Minders group is disappointed to have had the worst season to date of survival rates for the dotterel population.
''We do a lot of work to protect them (the chicks) and then they just disappear,'' says group co-ordinator Dennis Allison.
The watchdog group for the endangered birds saw just seven chicks fledged this year. The numbers were around the same last year. Their best year saw 16 chicks fledged (fledged is when dotterel wing feathers are large enough for flight).
This year they has approximately 35-40 chicks and just seven survived, Dennis says.
''It's still around the national average, but we are always a bit disappointed.''
He puts a lot of blame with harrier hawks. Eggs and chicks are easy prey for hawks.