Bird lovers in Wairarapa have yet another reason to rejoice.
Recent sightings of rare birds, including the first in 100 years of the wild shore plover, have been bolstered with the news the NZ dotterel that only returned to the Wairarapa coast in the last few years is now nesting here.
Forest
and Bird field officer Aalbert Rebergen said Peter Reese, a bird watcher from Nelson, had discovered three NZ dotterels nesting among a cluster of nesting banded dotterells near Riversdale.
But the sad news was two birds were seen together and the third one feeding along the tide mark.
"They did not have chicks and I don't think they are incubating eggs, so they may have lost their chicks.
"Not that long ago Wairarapa bird lovers had to travel to the northern half of the North Island to see these magnificent endemic coastal waders."
Mr Rebergen said fact sheets still had the birds only being found as far south as Mahia Peninsula, near Gisborne.
"That information is now out of date," he said. "They have moved south along the eastern North Island coast and have arrived on our own Wairarapa coast."
In the 19th century NZ dotterels were plentiful around the New Zealand coastline, but coastal development and predators dramatically cut their numbers.
"It is only with targeted predator control that population numbers in the main nesting areas have increased.
"With that increase has come a geographical increase in the NZ dotterels breeding range. No one would have predicted NZ dotterels would now be nesting in Wairarapa."
Mr Rebergen said Wairarapa was confronted with the same problem Northland and Auckland had struggled with for years - how to ensure a safe nesting habitat for the majestic coastal birds.
He said the biggest threat was quad bikes and dogs. Bikes could be managed because they kept close to the high-tide mark. "Dogs may need to be restricted during the breeding season from September until January."
