A distraction caused by an off-leash dog has been blamed for the deaths of two dotterel chicks in nests on Waihī Beach.

According to wildlife protection group Dot Watch, the deaths occurred distraction in a protected nesting area during a 30-minute period at Brighton Reserve while trained conservation volunteers were monitoring nesting pairs and newly hatched chicks.

The reserve is a designated wildlife protection area, clearly marked with signage and temporary tape requiring dogs to be kept on leads.

The remaining dotterel chick. Photo/ Supplied.

Dot Watch coordinator Susan Lean said one adult dotterel was caring for three chicks near the basketball court area.

“The chicks were named George II, Fredrick and Clark, in honour of the late George Clark, whose love for these birds was unwavering,” Lean said.

“The family had been gradually widening its territory, which is normal behaviour as chicks grow and begin to forage.”

Distressed

During the monitoring shift, the adult bird became distressed while repeatedly fending off several red-billed gulls.

“Although gulls are not a primary predator of dotterel chicks, sustained harassment can separate chicks from adults and leave them vulnerable.”

A nesting dotterel. Photo / Supplied.

Lean said a volunteer intervened to deter the gulls and successfully protected the chicks, then one strayed into the open.

Shortly afterwards, a man entered the protected area with a terrier off-lead, despite visible signage, Lean said.

“They asked the man to leash his dog and pointed out the chicks nearby. He said: ‘I can’t see any birds’ and added he would leash his dog when ‘we sort out the cats because cats kill more birds’.”

A dotterel parent at Waihī Beach. Photo / Rebecca Mauger

The interaction diverted the volunteer’s attention for several minutes. When monitoring resumed, two of the three chicks were missing, said Lean.

“The seagulls were still harassing the mother, but she now had only one chick.”

A dotterel chick at Waihī Beach. Photo / Supplied.

The loss followed a recent death of one of Waihī Beach’s oldest and “most loved” male dotterels, which was found dead near its nest and is believed to have been crushed into the grass.

“The death of this male left the mother to protect those three tiny chicks on her own for days. She was starving as she couldn’t leave the nest until they hatched,” Lean said. “It comes at the worst possible time.”

Devastated

Lean said the Dot Watch tamariki team, whose plea for awareness aired on Seven Sharp just days earlier, were devastated.

Camera footage is being reviewed, and the bird’s body was sent to the Department of Conservation for examination.

After three consecutive years of vandalism targeting protected dotterels, Lean said volunteers have again been forced to increase monitoring efforts.

“Cameras were recently installed at Brighton Reserve, but even these measures could not prevent this tragedy,” she said.

Keep dogs on leads

Conservation groups say dogs are one of the leading causes of death for northern New Zealand dotterels, even without physical contact, as disturbance alone can be fatal.

Volunteers urged the public to respect signage and keep dogs on leads in protected areas, warning that even brief lapses can have irreversible consequences.