After a great start at Point England I have ended the season with nothing fledged. The Dots have now left the paddock as the grass has grown too long, the farmer says he was understocked.
EGGS 10
CHICKS 8
FLEDGED 0
So what happened to the chicks? I have never seen any cats and I have looked for them at night and with the camera trap. I got to the point where dog owners are policing other dog owners about staying out of the paddock so pretty safe there. When an OSNZ member came by the paddock to do the count she saw Pukeko attack and kill a Dotterel chick. In an effort to record this behaviour I tried making a decoy.
A Black Back Seagull circled it but it did not land.
UPDATE: Second attempt with crouching dot and upgraded makeup… also failed. Maybe they are less aggressive when not breeding.
