Parents and students warned of nesting plovers

Parents and students at Pretty Beach Public School have been warned to give a wide berth to a family of nesting plovers

"As some of our school community are aware, we have a family of plovers or masked lapwings that have nested on our school oval," principal Ms Deborah Callendar said.

"Plovers are very protective of their nests and chicks.

"Adults will dive on intruders, use loud noises and swooping or act as though they have a broken wing in an attempt to lure the intruder away from the nest.

"This behaviour is mostly bluff and actual contact attacks are rare.

"Regardless, it is this fearlessly protective nature that brings them into conflict with people," she said.

Wildlife rescue service Wires has given the school tips to deal with the birds.

These included: "Plover aggression only occurs for a short period of time.

"Once the chicks have hatched, the level of attacks will significantly decrease.

"Try to avoid the nesting area and do not antagonise the birds.

"Try not to walk directly towards the birds or make eye contact with them.

"Attempts have been made in the past to relocate the eggs and nests to a more suitable location, however the parent birds rarely follow, resulting in abandonment," Ms Callendar said.

"We are not looking to remove the nest, and are hoping this nesting period is a relatively short one.

"In the meantime, we ask you all enjoy the natural experience," she said.

SOURCE:

Newsletter, 16 Aug 2018

Deborah Callendar, Pretty Beach Public School