Mount Maunganui locals are urging beachgoers to watch out for a pair of dotterels who have successfully hatched a chick in the past 24 hours on the towns popular beach.
The pair of dotterels, known as Don and Dotty by locals, laid two eggs on Mount Maunganui beach but sadly one went missing four days ago reports Sun Media.
The remaining egg hatched over the past 24 hours and the chick is already running around the popular beach.
The Department of Conservation and Tauranga City Council placed sandbags on the beach to protect the nesting parents, as well as signs to inform beachgoers about the threatened species.
Tauranga City Council told 1 NEWS they've made sure contractors who clean the beaches overnight with a beach groomer are aware of the dotterel family.
"We've ensured they're aware of the location and to keep an eye out, as well as keep a wide berth," a council spokesperson said.
Lifesavers from the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service say they'll keep watch over the new chick as it finds its feet.
"We're asking members of the public to try and stay away from the pens," regional lifeguard Julia Conway told 1 NEWS.
As well as the nightly sweep the beach gets from groomers, the dotterels will need to keep their wits about them due to other dangers facing them such as seagulls, tide levels and sporting events.
The human housing squeeze could leave our native birds homeless again.
"One did stop right in front of me while I was driving the quad bike, I had to slow down and drive around it," Ms Conway said.
"They’re not the brightest wee birds," she said.
In 2011, 2075 New Zealand dotterels were counted in the breeding-season census and they are mostly found in Auckland, Northland and the Coromandel.
The beach will be bustling with warm temperatures forecast for the New Year period.
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