Endangered shore bird gets help at Wye and Separation Creek beaches

There’s a plucky little bird we’ve watched over the years on our Wye River and Separation Creek seashore. They nest on the beaches and we see them regularly defending their nests from people and dogs with shrieking and flapping of wings.

It’s the Hooded Plover which is extinct in NSW and in Queensland. Only 400 remain in Victoria, many along our wonderful part of the Great Ocean Road.

We always encourage our guests at Treetops not to take their dogs to that part of the beach (immediately opposite the General Store Café) so that these endangered little guys have a chance to rear their chicks. Our dog visitors have plenty of other areas on the beach to have fun.

Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC)has just won an award for protecting these birds long the coast – well done folks. Committee teams fence off breeding areas and install signs along the coast informing visitors about these endangered birds. With this sort of care we hope the little birds have a good future here in our coastal villages.