Community unites to save native dotterel

By JO-MARIE BROWN

When predators are about to pounce on a New Zealand dotterel's nest, the bird's only hope of saving its chicks is to pretend to have a broken wing and limp away.

The birds' attempt to make themselves look like easier prey than their young is a clever ploy, but not particularly successful.

Fewer than 5 per cent of the endangered birds are able to raise chicks without human intervention to protect their habitat.

And nowhere are the benefits of giving them a helping hand more evident than on Matakana Island, where a committed group of Bay of Plenty landowners, businesses and local authorities is allowing the dotterel to breed in relative safety.

The picturesque island, just 3km from Tauranga's port, is the most successful breeding site for the birds in the country.

When the Department of Conservation launched a nationwide New Zealand dotterel recovery programme 10 years ago, just 15 breeding pairs were on Matakana Island.

With no protection from humans or animal predators, only five chicks were fledged over the 1992/93 breeding season and three-quarters of the nests were destroyed.

But locals Bubby and Witana Murray were employed to monitor the birds and keep pest numbers down.

Last season, 460 predators, such as cats, rats, stoats, possums and mice, were trapped, dramatically reducing to just 38 per cent the nests lost.

As a result, 34 breeding pairs were able to raise 39 chicks and this season (which runs from September to February) is likely to produce a record number.

The department's officer for protected species and islands, John Heaphy, says the birds, which total just 1500 nationwide, have the Bay of Plenty community to thank for their survival on Matakana.

"Unfortunately, what is a good beach for New Zealand dotterel breeding is also a good recreational beach for people," Mr Heaphy said.

"Most activities such as sunbathing, picnicking and fishing take a number of hours and if near to a nest, the incubating female could be off the nest all this time and the eggs either cool off or overheat in the sun."

New Zealand dotterel eggs are the colour of wet sand and are often trodden on or driven over by 4WD vehicles on beaches elsewhere in the country.

The bird's plight has led local Bay of Plenty organisations to donate money, goods and services to help turn Matakana Island into a dotterel haven.

Blakely Pacific and Te Kotukutuku Corporation, which jointly own 4000ha of forest on the island and the local sawmill, have sponsored facilities and equipment such as spotting scopes for Bubby and Witana Murray.

Sanford Fisheries donates bait to trap predators, and the Western Bay of Plenty District Council removes weeds to improve breeding sites.

Others, including the Port of Tauranga, the NZ Landcare Trust, the Lotteries Commission, and Tauranga's Forest Lady Barge help keep the $50,000 project running each year.

Locals, particularly schoolchildren, are fiercely protective of the birds and warn visitors to keep clear of the nesting sites.

Even keen fishermen bypass Matakana's best fishing spots so as not to disturb any newcomers.

Bubby Murray, who is employed by the department, said she was thrilled to think future generations would also enjoy the island's New Zealand dotterels.

To her delight, dozens of breeding pairs are now preparing to nest.

Further reading
nzherald.co.nz/environment