Locals are being asked to follow exclusion zones around nesting sites for hooded plovers.
Zones has been put in place at the Point Roadknight beach and near the Erskine River in Lorne following the hatching of hooded plover chicks.
The hooded plover faces a number of challenges in it’s early life, and the survival rate of the chicks sits only just above two per cent.
Acting Director Environment and Coastal Operations Leia Howes says we have to protect the animals where we can.
“(The hatching) is heartwarming news, but we all need to work together to keep these hoodie chicks safe because the odds are stacked against them,” she said.
“For these cute little birds to survive, they’ll need to make it through the first 35 days before they can fly and escape predators.
“It’s very rare for chicks to survive this hatching stage, so we urge everyone to do their part, especially by walking dogs in other areas.”
Great Ocean Road’s coast and parks authority says the chicks will begin feeding immediately after hatching and will use the whole beach including the intertidal zone and foredune, potentially outside the exclusion zone.
