Three Hooded Plover chicks hatch at Barwon Bluff South

💙 Three Hooded Plover chicks have hatched at Barwon Bluff South! 🐣

Three Hooded Plover chicks hatched today (5 November), marking a positive milestone in this year`s breeding season.

To protect the chicks, a temporary beach closure is being established between The Bluff Dune South and The Hole beach accesses for approximately five weeks, until the chicks can fly and are considered self-sufficient.

💙 Please respect the closure and follow local signage and barriers.
💙 Follow the signed pedestrian detour or explore one of our other beautiful local beaches while the chicks grow.
💙 Keep dogs away from the protected area and give the chicks plenty of space.

A big thank you to the Friends of the Hooded Plover – Bellarine volunteers for their ongoing efforts!

Read the full update, including the beach closure map on our news story on our website - link in bio

💙 Want to stay up to date with our Hooded Plovers?

We`ve launched a new Hooded Plover email update list to help you stay informed throughout the breeding season!

Sign up to receive updates on:

💙 Where Hooded Plovers are nesting along our coast
💙 When eggs hatch and chicks arrive
💙 Temporary beach closures and protection measures being put in place/removed
💙 Nesting successes and challenges throughout the season

Whether you`re a regular beach walker, dog owner or wildlife enthusiast, these updates will help you plan your beach visits and give our Hooded Plovers the space they need.

Sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/barwoncoast/hoodie-updates

💙 Hooded Plover nesting update

We currently have one active Hooded Plover nest along our coast, following the unsuccessful outcome of the nest between the Wedge St and Tuckfield St beach accesses.

The remaining nest is at Barwon Bluff South, where the eggs are expected to hatch around 4 November. This means the birds are now in the final stages of nesting.

There is currently one active nest remaining, following the unsuccessful outcome of a nest between the Wedge Street and Tuckfield Street beach entrances in Ocean Grove.

The remaining nest, located at Barwon Bluff South, is in the final stages of nesting; the eggs could hatch any day now. If the eggs hatch successfully, a beach closure (temporary exclusion zone)will be introduced to give the chicks the best chance of survival.

💙 Please follow local signage, keep your distance from nesting areas and keep dogs away from protected sites.

💙 Trialling a new approach to Hooded Plover protection

The trial will see protection measures increase as the birds move into the late nesting phase and raising chicks. The aim is to give these vulnerable shorebirds the best chance of successfully raising their young, while balancing beach access for everyone.

The aim is to give these vulnerable shorebirds the best chance of successfully raising their young, while balancing beach access for everyone.

You may notice changes to signage, temporary fencing and beach access arrangements as the breeding season progresses.

💙 Every little action helps. Please follow signs, keep your distance from nesting areas and keep dogs away from protected sites.

Find out more about the trial and how you can help protect our Hooded Plovers via the `Recent Projects` section of our website.

Photo by Rod Morrison

🐣 Hooded Plover update – two active nests
Mixed news for our Hooded Plovers, with two nests still active at Barwon Bluff South Dune and Wedge Street/Tuckfield Street, while nests at 13th Beach – Boings and The Ant – have unfortunately been unsuccessful.

The Barwon Bluff South Dune nest is expected to hatch in just over a week, with temporary beach closures to follow.

🐾 We share nesting locations so you can plan your beach visits – whether that`s choosing a different walking track, walking along the waterline or knowing where dogs need to be on lead.

A few small changes can make a big difference to these vulnerable little birds.

Thanks to Friends of the Hooded Plover – Bellarine for their ongoing care and monitoring.

👉 Find a full update on our website news section.

If you have a bird bath in your backyard, you can help reduce the risk of spreading H5 bird flu by keeping it clean. 🐦
Regularly clean and disinfect bird baths, refresh the water often and wash your hands after handling them.
Where possible, keep pets away from bird baths and other places where wildlife gathers.
If you see sick or dead birds or wildlife:
✅ avoid direct contact
✅ record the exact location and what you observed
✅ report it online
🔗agriculture.vic.gov.au/birdflu

⚠️ Barwon River water quality

We`ve received advice from @barwonwater that people should avoid unnecessary contact with the water in the Barwon River until further notice.

Sewer spills have occurred in Belmont, Breakwater and Highton that have likely impacted the quality of the water in the Barwon River. Recreational users are advised to avoid unnecessary contact with the water.

Barwon Water is undertaking water quality testing and will provide further updates via their website when results are available.

For more information or enquiries, please visit the Barwon Water alerts and updates page.