24/10/2026
Love our wildlife on the Mornington Peninsula! Who would have thought our coastline was the scene of epic battles for love! We’ve walked these beaches for years and never noticed the high drama unfolding this time of the year for nesting territory! Hooded Plovers may be tiny, but they are gutsy when fighting together for their turf and each other. It’s breeding season for this native Australian beach nesting bird. With only around 30 breeding pairs on the Mornington Peninsula, ‘Hoodies’ are listed as a threatened and protected species. Turf battles, dogs off lead, foxes and predator birds, along with rough weather mean less than 2.5% of all Hooded Plover eggs make it to adulthood. Paul and I recently had an amazing guided walk with a friend who volunteers with Friends of The Hooded Plover Mornington and we’ll never look at the beach the same again! We are in awe of these tiny heroes who have so much to contend with to raise their young. What can you do? With summer approaching their territories get busy with humans so stay away from high tide lines and especially roped off areas that indicate where breeding pairs, nesting activity or young chicks are. Watch your feet!! These birds are tiny and their chicks are even smaller. These little families have to make their way to the shoreline so keep an eye on where you are placing your feet. Dogs aren’t allowed at national parks but on other beaches where dogs are allowed, it’s important to keep them on lead. Join Friends of The Hooded Plover Mornington as a member …we sure have! All money raised goes straight to monitoring and learning more about these incredible birds! All photos and footage were taken from a non intrusive distance with a zoom lens and no bird was approached x 🩵🪶🪺🌊
