26 Jun, 2017 7:00am
A decade-long project has helped restore a rare native bird population in Hawke's Bay.
A 1km area in Ouepoto Reserve at Aramoana Beach is taped off by Department of Conservation (DoC) staff between September and April every year to protect the New Zealand dotterel, an endangered sandy-brown wading bird.
DoC Hawke's Bay biodiversity coastal marine compliance ranger Rod Hansen said they started the project after a bach owner observed several of the birds nesting on the beach in Aramoana 10 years ago.
"It's rarer than the kokako or the kiwi," he said.
The New Zealand dotterel is vulnerable to predators as well as human foot traffic, dogs and motorbikes because it nests on the sand and lays small eggs that look like bumble bees when they hatch.
Tape and signs have been put up during breeding season for the last 10 years with remarkable results, Mr Hansen said.
Continued
A decade-long project has helped restore a rare native bird population in Hawke's Bay.
A 1km area in Ouepoto Reserve at Aramoana Beach is taped off by Department of Conservation (DoC) staff between September and April every year to protect the New Zealand dotterel, an endangered sandy-brown wading bird.
DoC Hawke's Bay biodiversity coastal marine compliance ranger Rod Hansen said they started the project after a bach owner observed several of the birds nesting on the beach in Aramoana 10 years ago.
"It's rarer than the kokako or the kiwi," he said.
The New Zealand dotterel is vulnerable to predators as well as human foot traffic, dogs and motorbikes because it nests on the sand and lays small eggs that look like bumble bees when they hatch.
Tape and signs have been put up during breeding season for the last 10 years with remarkable results, Mr Hansen said.
Continued
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