Take care for the Pied Stilt chicks

These baby birds are so hard to see they’re at huge risk of being trampled, run over or grabbed by a dog.

Back in early November 2022 I almost stepped on a Poaka Pied Stilt nest not far from the blue pole that marks where the North Track off Reay Mackay Grove exits onto the beach. Luckily I saw it just in time.

The nest with 5 speckled eggs was just a scrape in the ground with a few bits of driftwood nearby.

The parent Stilts were fierce defenders of the nest, divebombing anyone who came anywhere near. They’re pretty scary, flying straight for you and only swerving at the very last moment!

Photo by Stephen Betts.

Then at the start of December the nest was abandoned, one egg remaining. There was no sign of the parent birds nearby. We feared the worst.

That’s when Corne Ferreira came along while volunteers were planting spinifex across the front of the Miratana block. He spent a while taking photos and when we chatted with him discovered he’d been watching 3 baby Pied Stilts in the wet sand near the bend of the river. He generously agreed to share his photos with us.

Pied Stilt chick on the beach. Photo by Corne Ferreira and used with permission.

Pied Stilt chick on the beach. Photo by Corne Ferreira and used with permission.

So precious! So hard to see!

These babies won’t be able to fly until the end of December:

Both adults incubate the 3-4 eggs, which hatch after c.25 days. The chicks leave the nest when dry, and can fly when 28-32 days old. The young are olive-brown to brown and downy with dark blotches on their backs, and white underneath. When hatched they are brooded by their parents but find their own food.

Will they survive the busiest time of the year on Waikawa Beach?