Celebrating our plucky plovers

Each year we celebrate this group of small plucky birds.

Many plover species are highly threatened, largely due to their habitats being some of the most popular for human recreation, such as the beach, shores of lakes and wetlands, or even open grasslands.

This habitat dependence, together with highly camouflaged nests and cryptic behaviours, means that humans can unintentionally have major impacts on the survival of eggs and chicks.

The key to co-existence between people and plovers is awareness, understanding and sharing space with them.

Know your plovers

As well as our resident plover species (hooded plovers and red-capped plovers), lapwings and dotterels are also members of the plover family.

There are at least another six species (excluding vagrants) that are migratory, non-breeding visitors to South Australian shores.

What’s being done to support these birds?

Landscape boards, BirdLife Australia staff and volunteers work with councils to fence and sign hooded plover breeding sites, and many local council by-laws require that dogs be on a lead from signposted breeding zones.

Birdlife Australia Volunteers are trained to monitor the birds on beaches across southern Australia, observing the birds’ behaviour and talking to beachgoers about how they can help to protect the birds and give them the best opportunity to raise their young.

Volunteers patrol beaches across the state throughout the year, raising awareness of local species and helping community understand how they can help the birds by sharing the shore. Small changes in behaviour can ensure people and the birds benefit.

See our hoodie volunteers in action.

Data collected from the volunteers is actively used by land managers to manage breeding areas that aim to increase success rates and improving species trajectory towards recovery.

In addition to regular monitoring, every 2 years BirdLife Australia volunteers and regional staff across southern Australia walk our beaches to survey hooded plover habitats gathering valuable data about the species.

What you can do

If you’re enjoying a day at the beach, there’s a few things you can do to help:

• leash your dog, especially during spring and summer
• pay attention to hooded plover awareness signs at beach entrances
• only walk below the high tide mark (that is, at the water’s edge) during the nesting season
• keep well away from areas temporarily fenced to help protect nests and chicks
• move away quietly if you spot hooded plovers on the beach
• keep off the sand dunes.
• drive your car at the low tide mark and close to the water’s edge
• if you see a fox near a hoodie nest or find a den, let your council or landscape board know

Into facts and figures? This bit’s for you

The Hooded Plover Biennial Count, occurring since 1980, coordinates hundreds of skilled participants across eastern mainland Australia to survey suitable ocean beach habitat for hooded plovers (eastern subspecies), in November.

During this count all other species of resident beach-nesting birds, including several tern species, are recorded, enabling an assessment of the use of ocean beach habitats by these species.

Fixed survey routes, first established in 2010, allow direct comparisons of species abundance can be over time.

The Biennial Count was most recently conducted in 2022 (BirdLife Australia 2023) where 2754 kilometres of suitable coastline, that is, hooded plover habitat, was identified in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.

A whopping 2,589 km (94%) of that coastline was surveyed. A total of 1,664 hooded plovers (1,622 adults and 42 juveniles) were counted, comprising approximately 55% of the estimated world population of 3,000 birds (eastern subspecies) and 92% of the estimated mainland breeding population of 1,800 birds.

In South Australia (98% of habitat surveyed): 838 hooded plovers (803 adults and 35 juveniles).

The biennial count occurs over a single weekend in mid-November when most hooded plovers are firmly established on their breeding territories, minimising the possibility of inaccurate counting due to bird movements.

It was biennial count data that provided strong evidence of overall declines in the eastern mainland numbers of hooded plovers, and evidence for loss of occupancy which led to the nomination of the eastern subspecies of hooded plover for listing (Vulnerable) under the EPBC Act in 2014.

The count findings help us identify trends of concern and provide the best assessment of the mainland trajectory for the species.

The next biennial count will occur in November 2024.

Celebrating our plovers

Each year the team at BirdLife Australia celebrate plovers with a different theme. This year they are focusing on books and novels, celebrating the art of storytelling and way of using science and creative writing to inspire people to care for our environment! They are sharing their favourite books (including picture books and novels) and even have a few special releases of some of our childhood favourites.

Make sure you check out updates on BirdLife Australia’s social media channels: Twitter (@birdlife_hoodie), Instagram (birdlife_hoodie) and Facebook (@hooded.plover.birdlife), or visit the website birdlife.org.au

More information

Find out more about plovers or how to join the volunteer monitoring program on your local beach at BirdLife Australia.

To discover what your local landscape board is doing to protect threatened species, including hoodies, find your board here.

The hooded plover program is part of BirdLife Australia’s national beach-nesting bird program and is supported regionally by landscapes boards, local councils and volunteers.

Reference

Report on the 2022 Biennial Hooded Plover Population Count (birdlife.org.au) (2023) BirdLife Australia