It is all go at Waihī Beach with the northern New Zealand dotterels settling in all sorts of weird and wonderful places to breed, the latest nest this season is in full swing at Brighton Reserve at the North End.

Last season saw the highly endangered birds set up in subdivisions, in reserves and a cow field 2km from the beach with nests situated in shallow scrapes in the ground.

Waihī Beach School's dotterel kaitiaki and farmer Merv Littlejohn became something of local environmental heroes.

Beau McDuff, Violet Connelly and Gemma Munro maintained a watchful eye over a nest in a subdivision at the back of their houses whilst farmer Merv moved all of his cows out of four fields equalling around 20 acres to allow the dotterels space to breed.

Dot Watch volunteers carefully managed the nests, but nothing could be done about the unprecedented rain with most nests destroyed by the water levels and predators.

The news of the plight of Waihī Beach dotterels hit the headlines and gained national attention.

Dot Watch was approached by Bay Conservation Alliance and ARRC (Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Wildlife Trust) and through some amazing collaboration, a book has been written about the plight of Waihī Beach resident dotterels Zigg and Zagg, farmer Merv and the local dotterel kaitiaki.

‘Zigg and Zagg’s Dotterel Dance’ complements a series of 11 educational books published by ARRC.

The books aim to help educate children about the importance of conservation, environmental sustainability, animal welfare as well as responsible pet ownership and how these themes link in together. All the books are based on true stories, illustrating how our wildlife is impacted by humans.

They have colourful illustrations, all donated by wonderful local artists, fun facts and tips on how children can help our wildlife and environment.

Beau McDuff, farmer Merv Littlejohn, Beau McDuff and Hayley Connelly. Photo: Supplied.

“We are so excited to launch our new book to help grow awareness about our wonderful dotterels, the incredible work that organisations like Dot Watch do and how we can all work together to do our bit and conserve our precious natural heritage,” says ARRC Director Dr. Liza Schnieder.

“We are very grateful to Emma Frederickson who has done a beautiful job illustrating Zigg and Zagg’s Dotterel Dance.”

If you would like to purchase a copy of the book or series, please visit https://arrc.org.nz/arrc-shop with all money going towards funding so that these books can be distributed to schools to educate and inspire the next generation of tamariki.

Dot Watch is a small group of like-minded individuals, including former Prime Minister, Helen Clark, which was formed to protect the endangered New Zealand dotterel and its habitat at Waihī Beach and surrounding areas.

Helen is passionate about the dotterels’ welfare.

“The threats posed to the dotterels have been overwhelming - and not only from introduced mammal predators," says Helen.

"Juveniles and eggs have been destroyed by other bird species, such as spur winged plovers, black backed gulls, and pukeko - to name but a few.

"It has been a constant battle to protect the birds, with the added challenges of some people using the nest cordons as football goals, and dotterel eggs being destroyed by golfers and golf balls."

Helen says Dot Watch is determined to see that these endangered birds have a chance to survive, "and everyone has a role to play in ensuring that".

"I would like to offer four important pieces of advice for visitors or residents alike," says Helen.

“Please be mindful of any signage about protecting dotterels, and leash your dogs at least 50m from nest sites, even if you are walking your dogs on the dog-walking beach  - from Albacore Avenue to Plom Road.

“Keep companion cats in at night if you live within 2km of a nesting area. This is a cat's range, and they will potentially destroy the nest and any juveniles, as we witnessed in 2022.

“Keep your distance - 50m -  as the birds will lead you away from nest sites if you go near them. If the dotterels are incubating eggs and leave the nest, the eggs can get too hot or too cold if they leave the nest. If they have chicks, those chicks could get into difficulty without protection from the parent birds. 

“Tell your friends and whānau how they can help.”

Waihī Beach School dotterel kaitiaki with farmer Merv Littlejohn. Photo: Supplied.

Dot Watch is very thankful to the Waihī Beach community who have rallied around to help protect these birds.

The team are hoping that the advocacy and education spreads to the overwhelming number of visitors that hit the beach in summer, swelling from 4000 to 25,000 for the five-week period - and at the most critical time during the dotterels' breeding season.

If you would like more information about Dot Watch, please contact Coordinator Pippa Coombes at waihibeach.watch@gmail.com