Two rare birds have laid eggs at Wairarapa's
Riversdale Beach and a temporary fence has been built to protect them.
Two nationally endangered New Zealand dotterel
(tuturiwhatu) laid three eggs on a precarious sandspit between the lagoon at
Riversdale and the sea.
They were spotted at the beach last month and
began attempting to incubate three eggs just north of the Riversdale Surf Club
last week.
Greater Wellington Regional Council staff and
residents have done all they can to protect the nest from vehicles and dogs,
although little can be done about the elements.
Regional council biodiversity adviser Robyn
Smith said the birds usually lay eggs in a small scrape in the sand on exposed
beaches but many of them choose a safer spot than this pair.
"We've placed a temporary fence about 20
metres back from the nest and put up some signs to give the birds a bit of
space from vehicles, people and dogs. However, there isn't much we can do about
the lagoon or the sea. If there's heavy rain or heavy seas, the nest will
probably get inundated," she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment