Banded Dotterels (tuturiwhatu), G7, 100-400

Messier Object wrote:

Very nice images. Where in NZ was this ?

South coast and on the East side of Wellington harbour. The video was in an area in Robinson Bay about 1 Km from where I live.

The photos of the chicks are probably less than 50m from my front door

I saw and photographed this bird in the Lake Tekapo area last October. I saw enough of them to make me think they were common.

I think all of our dotterel species are either vulnerable or recovering, they are not in great shape.

I'm fairly sure a growing human presence around nesting sites is having a significant effect - people bring disturbance from vehicles, cats and dogs, and since the nests are so hard to see, very easy to walk or drive over.

nzmacro wrote:

Very cute little birds they are (very small in fact) and for the life of me, I have a lot of trouble getting close to them.

I find the hardest part is seeing them in the first place. Very easy to miss.

They seem to be pretty relaxed if you just sit down and wait, last season I was watching a female on the nest:

Female banded Dotterel on nest, eggs are visible at her feet.

Note the horrendous bokeh on the 100-400 in these conditions. My mirror lenses are better.

At the same time, the companion male wandered over to me a walked right around me, at times almost to close to focus on. Seemed inquisitive and relaxed:

I'd been crouched down there for probably 20-30 mins, when some righteous dotterel guardian walked over, scared the female off the nest, and suggested very forcefully that I was disturbing the birds.

Got a few in flight and on the deck, but trying to get close to these here is tough work. Love it, darn cute and the colours are bang on. Wish they were my shots.

Thanks.

All the best down the road (almost).

Yes, when we go past your area we are usually traveling north and tend not to have time to stop, or the tide or light isn't great

Danny.

Messier Object wrote:

hindesite wrote:

Messier Object wrote:

Very nice images. Where in NZ was this ?

South coast and on the East side of Wellington harbour. The video was in an area in Robinson Bay about 1 Km from where I live.

The photos of the chicks are probably less than 50m from my front door

I saw and photographed this bird in the Lake Tekapo area last October. I saw enough of them to make me think they were common.

I think all of our dotterel species are either vulnerable or recovering, they are not in great shape.

I'm fairly sure a growing human presence around nesting sites is having a significant effect - people bring disturbance from vehicles, cats and dogs, and since the nests are so hard to see, very easy to walk or drive over.

Thanks for the response.

Ok, I’m glad I got to capture them. BTW I also found a Black Stilt on the Pukaki shore and got some great ground and BIF shots

Some of our Aussie dotterels (eg Hooded Plover) are suffering similarly - domestic dogs and reckless beach walkers having an impact on nesting areas. I once saw and videoed a woman walk up to a warning sign and after reading it she stepped under the rope-line and proceeded into the nesting area, kicking things around presumably looking for eggs or chicks. There was a stretch of water between us, but she did get some ‘choice advice’ from me, to which she replied with a 1-fingered gesture.

Peter

In our area, it seems intuitive that if the nests are fenced off, they'll be safer; but I don't know that there is any evidence that this is true.

Last season I saw somebody walk under a fence so they could take a photo of the nest and eggs with their phone.

We had just as much success with two pairs on our beach, one was fenced, the other was not (nobody had found the nest).