Spring has arrived with the usual changeable weather and promise of good things to come. Here at the beach the dotterels have coloured up in their breeding plumage and we are watching them carefully for any tell-tale signs of nesting, which typically occurs in September-October. At the time of writing we may have one nest here at Te Henga.
Labour Weekend marks the start of “dogs on lead” on the main beach. Thanks a million to the many people who are mindful of the dotterels and other shore birds - you are heroes! The “Need a Lead? Borrow one here” sign will be erected just before Labour Weekend, with leads available to borrow for people who’ve forgotten theirs.
There has been an unusually high number of the threatened Variable Oyster Catchers sighted on the beach over the winter, strutting about in their black and white plumage and calling stridently when anyone approaches. It is likely that the ongoing trapping programme at Te Henga is having a positive effect on shorebird numbers. Greg Hoskins and others have been trapping around the beach area for over twenty years - a fantastic effort! Pipits and skylarks are also present in good numbers and will be nesting in the dunes at the moment.
It’s also Little Blue Penguin breeding season and parents will be sitting on eggs in their burrows. People are reporting seeing multiple penguin tracks in the morning on the beach, heading out to sea. One lucky person was fortunate enough to spot this healthy penguin starting to make its way up the beach late one evening recently (see photo). Little is known about how many penguins live up and down Auckland’s west coast beaches, but it’s great to see that some live and breed around here.