The Shoalhaven Council has established a signed and fenced reserve
for Hooded Plovers between Murramarang beach (Bawley Point) and Racecourse Beach (Kioloa).
The fenced area is about 100 metres long and the signs about 50 metres further
away. The signs say that there are only about 50 Hooded Plovers in NSW.
The heavy seas along this part of the coast since
mid-December has meant that high tide almost reaches the permanently grassed
areas – leaving little room for nesting
The first time I looked I could see only two adult Plovers,
and later in the day found a flock of about 40 Australian Ravens beach coaming the
200 metre area. I thought that any egg(s) wouldn’t last long with this
visitation.
A few days later I was pleased to see 3 Hooded Plovers on
the beach – 2 adults plus an almost full size juvenile – so my
concerns about the Ravens was (probably) unfounded.
Over the 2 weeks I saw about 40 species including Rufous and
Golden Whistlers (the female Golden was nest building), an Azure Kingfisher, Satin
Bowerbirds, Chestnut Teals (including 6 young striding down a walking track to
Lake Meroo), lots of Yellow Robins, Sooty and Pied Oystercatchers (Pieds at
Lake Durras), WB Sea Eagles, Black Falcons, parrots (King, Rainbow,
Yellow-Tailed Black, Galah, Sulphur Crested), Lewins’ HE, the usual
collection of wattlebirds, Wws, Magpies, thornbills, a few Silver Gulls, Gannets
and Paid and Black Cormorants, one Crested Tern, and, swans, pelicans, house
Sparrows, 1 Starling etc.
Other wild life included one tick in the groin and 10 others
in my clothes when I was walking through some rainforest remnant right in the
middle of Bawley Point.
Roy
