The National Parks and Wildlife Service’s South Coast Shorebird Recovery Program began installing signage at Mogareeka and other known nesting areas last week.

The Mogareeka estuary is a “real shorebird hotspot” according to the program’s coordinator Amy Harris.

Ms Harris said the entrance to the Bega River hosts both resident nesting and migratory shorebird species foraging throughout the year.

However, over the spring/summer period, three species of shorebird can be found nesting there also – pied oystercatchers, little terns and red-capped plovers. 

Two of these are endangered – the little tern and pied oystercatcher. 

“Due to the significance of this site for shorebirds, the entire entrance sandspit and sand islands within the estuary are part of a designated Bega Valley Shire Council Wildlife Protection Area from now until April 30 annually,” Ms Harris said.

“As part of this, the entire sandspit is prohibited to dogs – which can disturb and chase nesting and foraging shorebirds and also predate their eggs and small vulnerable chicks.   

“The Wildlife Protection Area is clearly defined with a perimeter of interpretive signs asking people to keep their dogs out of this area.

“Colonies and nesting sites within this area may also be fenced off to give the birds some space to incubate their eggs and hide their chicks without the risk of trampling or disturbance. 

“To put it in perspective how special this site is, last season there were only two places on the Far South Coast where migrating little terns formed a nesting colony – one was Tuross Lake and the other Mogareeka,” she said.

“The site is patrolled regularly by NPWS staff and local council Rangers and there are heavy penalties and fines for individuals found to be in breach of native fauna and threatened species protection laws.”

As well as the threat of dogs, Ms Harris said foxes and trampling by beachgoers are constant concerns for these birds.

The NPWS Shorebird Recovery Program aims to reduce these threats at nesting sites by using signposting and fencing off sensitive shorebird nest sites. 

“The pied oystercatcher suffers low breeding success at many locations and has recently had its status upgraded to endangered,” Ms Harris said.

“The red-capped plover is a more common shorebird species – but they do suffer low breeding success at some sites due to high rates of disturbance and predation. 

“It’s fantastic and highly significant that we can host three nesting shorebird species at the one site with the protection measures for the more endangered species also benefiting those more common like the red-capped plover.” 

Beachgoers encroaching too close to a nest will have the birds start calling at them, or, in the case of the red-capped plover, the small bird will start flapping its wings on the ground nearby in an attempt to draw the predator (i.e. human) away from their eggs or chicks.

“It’s best to move away quickly from the area as your presence near the nest will prevent the adults from incubating eggs or feeding the chicks,” Ms Harris said.

“This can cause overheating/cooling of the eggs or starvation of the chicks.” 

If beachgoers find a nest on the beach they can contact NPWS Merimbula on 6495 5000 or Narooma on 4476 0800 to let them know the location and details of what they observed. 

The NPWS Shorebird Recovery Program monitors and protects nesting threatened shorebird species across the Far South Coast. 

Volunteers regularly assist the program with monitoring specific beaches or estuaries for nesting birds - in essence “adopting” a beach they regularly visit. 

The program is always looking for more volunteers who might be interested in helping out.

Anyone interested can call Amy Harris at the NPWS Narooma office on 4476 0800. 

Editor's note: My personal thanks (as well as I'm sure that of the little plover) for the person who placed the ring of sticks around the nest I found and photographed on Sunday. It would've been easy just to keep clear, but your kind actions allowed everyone coming after you to easily spot the vulnerable nest.