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- Seven dotterel chicks have survived to fledging since the community started to look out for them.
- Many more people now understand why it’s important to keep their dogs on lead on the main beach during the dotterel breading season.
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Our “Need a Lead? Borrow One Here…” sign has been very successful with people borrowing and returning leads regularly and lots of positive feedback from those borrowing them.
- Our signs eg “Meet a Local Family” and those talking about dotterels and penguins have been well received.
- Growing numbers of shorebirds eg flocks of terns and variable oyster catchers, have been spotted on the beach in recent years.
- More dotterels now nest at Te Henga Bethells - just one pair for the first few years after the project began, four pairs this year (2024-25 breeding season).
- Te Henga Bethells dotterels have a higher profile these days having been featured in a variety of media: articles, a Paula Green poem on the information sign kiosk at the beach entranceway (see photo), regular articles about their progress in Windows on Swanson Road (bi-monthly free local magazine available in many locations around Swanson and Ranui), Simon Runting’s winning Te Henga dotterel photo in the New Zealand Geographic photographer of the year competition 2023, and on the well regarded local facebook page. (See links below)
