At the mouth of the Waiwera Estuary, there are round wire cages in the dunes. Enclosed within a taped-off section of the beach, these mark the nests of New Zealand Dotterels (Charadrius obscurus aquilonius). ‘Nest’ is a bit of a generous description, because Dotterels lay their eggs in shallow, barely lined scrapes. As New Zealand beaches are so popular, this isn’t the safest for them – hence the cages to mark their cryptic nests.  Many New Zealand shorebirds share this problem, so it’s really important that people are aware of them and don’t disturb them while they’re incubating and caring for chicks.

The beautiful russety males were running around, the paired ones defending their nests from a gaggle of interlopers. There was a lot of chasing, flapping, and piping territorial calls going on! Dotterels have a very particular walk – a few quick short steps, pause, another burst, pause, and so on. It makes them easy to identify from a distance, and I didn’t have to get close to watch them darting around. The females were incubating, quietly sitting tight and blending in well with the sand.

There are two sub-species, a Northern and a Southern. I’ve never seen the Southern sub-species, the males have much darker plumage and they only breed on Stewart Island. The population has crashed after once being widespread across the South Island, although they have grown from a low of 62 birds in 1992 to nearly 300.

The active management of breeding sites is what keeps the populations of New Zealand Dotterels stable. Without them, the birds suffer heavy losses and fail to raise chicks. Predator control is another important component – and the Southern sub-species is dependent on this help to survive.

If you’re enjoying the beach, please keep an eye out for these little birds and give them space!