When it comes to enjoying life at the beach in Tasmania, nothing beats a warm January day. Humans, however, are not the only species making the most of our summer days. While it’s often not thought of as a critical habitat, the beach is also home to several threatened species. Tasmania is home to several beach-nesting birds whose breeding season peaks right when we are heading to the beach for fun and relaxation. The hooded plover, Thinornis cucullatus, is one such species that has suffered a slow but steady decline in population over several decades. Key threats include disturbance from people and dogs, sea level rise and storm surge, predation from gulls and ravens, and trampling by people, vehicles and horses. Many beaches have also lost suitable breeding territories this year due to the formation of dramatic dune cliffs, possibly as a result of high tides related to La Niña. Enviro-dynamics has recently spent time surveying this species at remote breeding sites around the state.

“But I hate plovers, they swoop me!”

Often confused with their cousin, the masked lapwing, hooded plovers are often misunderstood. Masked Lapwings are well known for their defensive parenting strategies – swooping perceived predators and occasionally making contact with the spur on their wing. Sharing the name ‘plover’ has tarred the hooded plover with the same reputation for swooping, when in fact they deploy very different parenting strategies.

“But there weren’t any nesting plovers at the beach!”

Being cryptic is the name of the game for hooded plovers. The theory being that if you can’t detect their eggs and chicks, then you can’t hurt them. Laid in sand or shell grit in a small depression called a scrape, hooded plover eggs are extremely well camouflaged. Incubating parents are somewhat more noticeable, so to ensure they do not inadvertently give away their nest location they will stop incubating and lead you away. On a busy beach, a constant stream of people can mean that eggs are not being incubated for hours. Unfortunately, eggs can cool or heat to fatal temperatures in a matter of minutes. Being visual feeders, hooded plovers have excellent eyesight and this process of leaving their nest can occur when humans are a considerable distance away and unable to see the birds yet. The distance is even greater for dogs, particularly when they are running off lead.

“So, why do they nest in such a silly place?”

We often refer to needing to ‘share the beach’, but plovers are an ancient assemblage of birds that diverged from their ancestors over 36 million years ago – pre-dating humans by at least 35 million years! We are recent arrivals on the beach, while they have had 36 million years to evolve behaviours and traits that are highly specialised to that environment. These charismatic beach birds can’t relocate to different types of habitats, nor predict when threats such as humans or dogs will be present.

“What can I do?”

There are some basic ways to reduce the chances of unwittingly having an impact on hooded plovers while enjoying the beach.

• Walk on the wet sand.

• Keep your dog on a lead and avoid dog walking in nesting areas during October to March.

• Avoid driving on beaches.

• If you see temporary fencing or signage on the beach, it may be for nest protection – pass these areas quickly and give them a wide berth.

• Become aware of what bird species use your favourite beaches.