Friends of the Hooded Plover - Mornington Peninsula

26/05/2026

We are taking a short Beak 🐦, oops, we mean break as one of us Swans off on holiday 😂, Winging their way to Italy ✈️ while the rest of us don our Hoodies and Gullp hot chocolate ☕ as the weather Terns cold 🥶. Most of us aren't going far while Petrel is in short supply ⛽ so we'll be back for another Stint starting July. Stay tuned …..

17/05/2026

We‘re feeling all warm and fuzzy after hosting a successful end of season event at Coolart. It‘s always a treat having the opportunity to hear from our partners and colleagues, sharing information and data from the season that was and learning about research projects (thank you Stephanie) and management plans. A room full of folk passionate about Hoodies and conservation, some scrumptIous food and the warmth of friendly chatter in glorious May sunshine - what‘s not to love. We heard from Kris and Lisa at Parks Victoria, Kasun from Birdlife, the team from DEECA and had season reports from the Phillip Island Nature Parks crew and our buddies Tash and Andrea from across the bay. Mark, as always, kept us informed, entertained and captivated with his magical images, and ranger extraordinaire Lisa was awarded Life Membership of FoHP(MP) - so bad luck Lisa, you‘re stuck with us now! To everyone who travelled, rearranged their schedules, put together a presentation or just cared enough - THANK YOU. To Mark and Stacey for hosting, organising and cajoling - you two are the best, and to the wonderful committee a job well done.

13/05/2026

Need an excuse to get out of bed Friday......come along for interesting presentations of all things Hoodie (and yummy morning tea!!) Where - Wetlands Observatory, Coolart Homstead When - Friday 15th May 2026, 9am - 1pm.

REMINDER For our End of Year Celebration - Fri 15th May 2026 , Wetland Observatory, Coolart Homestead.

Why would you want to be anywhere else? Summer in Europe - sooo yesterday. Relaxing at a luxury resort in Tahiti - overrated. Soaking in thermal pools in Japan - ho hum….. Instead, you can spend the morning with us at Coolart Wetlands for our End of Season Celebration. Some may say it’s the biggest event of the year, and queues may be long, so please RSVP early to secure your place. See the flyer below for details. Okay, it may not be as fab as blobbing by the pool in Tahiti, but it’s cheaper. In fact, it’s free. And we’re even prepared to bribe you with a scrumptious lunch. See you at Coolart on May 15th 😋

10/05/2026

Mother’s Day is overrated (my cat wouldn’t even bring me a cup of tea in bed this morning)!

However, we have cast our vote for the Mother of the Year award and the award goes to (drumroll please).....

Y14 Xena!

In addition to raising a total of four fledglings this season - the little winners, Twinky and Mo - Xena ran her territory like a boss! She organised the youngsters, sassed those pesky gulls and kept her partner Hero under control. Xena contributed almost half our fledgling total of 9 and so we salute Xena, Mother of the Year - take a bow!!

09/05/2026

9 May is the first World Migratory Bird Day for 2026 — the time of year when we begin farewelling some of our amazing migratory shorebirds as they head home after spending summer on our coasts and wetlands.

Tiny birds like the Red-Necked Stints and the more stockier Ruddy Turnstone (Vulnerable in Victoria) travel incredible distances from Siberia and western Alaska to Australia each year. After months feeding along our beaches and wetlands, they now begin the long journey back north.

Even more amazingly, the last of the Short-tailed Shearwater will soon be taking to the skies. These remarkable birds breed on Phillip Island before migrating north — and the young birds make their very first journey alone, finding their own way across the ocean without their parents.

This year’s theme for World Migratory Bird Day is “Every Bird Counts – Your Observations Matter.”

The theme highlights the vital role community participation and citizen science play in protecting migratory birds around the world.

Whether you spot a bird in your backyard or record sightings during organised bird counts, every observation contributes to important conservation work. Each record helps researchers build a clearer understanding of migration patterns, population trends, and the challenges these remarkable birds face along their flyways.

Double Banded Plovers have recently arrived from New Zealand and the next expected arrivals are the endangered Orange-bellied Parrot returning from Tasmania.

If you’re visiting the beach or local wetlands, keep an eye out for these and other travelling birds, and record any sightings using apps such as eBird. Every observation helps protect these remarkable species for future generations.

Photos by Yungarup, Hills by the Sea

08/05/2026

REMINDER For our End of Year Celebration - Fri 15th May 2026 , Wetland Observatory, Coolart Homestead.

Why would you want to be anywhere else? Summer in Europe - sooo yesterday. Relaxing at a luxury resort in Tahiti - overrated. Soaking in thermal pools in Japan - ho hum….. Instead, you can spend the morning with us at Coolart Wetlands for our End of Season Celebration. Some may say it’s the biggest event of the year, and queues may be long, so please RSVP early to secure your place. See the flyer below for details. Okay, it may not be as fab as blobbing by the pool in Tahiti, but it’s cheaper. In fact, it’s free. And we’re even prepared to bribe you with a scrumptious lunch. See you at Coolart on May 15th 😋

25/04/2026

Ahhhhh, the pleasure at the end of the Hoodie breeding season. Beach visits decrease, stinky, sandy shoes get a chance to dry, our shoulders drop down from our earlobes and we stash all our gear away. Time to stay cosy and avoid the bitter Bass Strait blasts. When we do pop down to the beach our pairs are mostly buddied up with other Hoodies and hanging out in flocks. Safety in numbers and playing nice together. However, when hormone levels rise and there are territories or chicks to defend, things are very different. We’ve shown you how Xena took on Jonathon Livingston Seagull to protect her youngsters but Hoodies also get feisty with each other.
When an unwanted visitor enters a Hoodie territory the dominant bird stands tall with straightened legs, raises their feathery hackles, bows their head and fans their tail. For teensy birds they can be downright scary and if the intruder has any sense they will be on their way….

Photos by Mark Lethlean

13/04/2026

We've had successes - think the 'little winners’, Twinky, Mo, Fergus, Ernie and who can forget Roy and Wesley. While we celebrate the nine fledglings, sadly the wins are tinged with the loss of precious little souls, the tiny feather folk who didn't make it. We’d like to pay tribute to these gorgeous fuzzballs who brought us excitement, joy……and heartbreak. They are far from forgotten so we’re taking this opportunity to share some images - they are gone 😢, but they all mattered.

Eggs that were swept off the beach by wild weather or high tides may have taught the parents about where to locate their nests in the future. Each chick that hatches - be it for a day, a week or just falling short of fledging, teaches mum and dad about threats, hazards, food supply etc, building their experience so maybe, just maybe, when they try again they will get to see their little ones stretch their wings and take flight.

You see, that’s what it’s all about and if they can keep trying then so can we. And we will. To Charlie, Felix, Bushy, the Coppins duo, Scaredy and all the other little lost ones, we saw you. RIP.

BirdLife Australia Threatened Species Commissioner

Words by Karen Wootton
Photos by Glenn Ehmke Yungarup, Hills by the Sea Mark Lethlean

05/04/2026

Our Egg Hunt...
Not foil wrapped, painted or coloured and dyed;
not poached, hard boiled or even fried;
the eggs we are hunting are small with speckles;
and if you look closely you'll think they have freckles;
hidden with care so they’re not found;
by the egg hunters who are hanging around;
Foxes, Ravens and Magpies trawl the beach;
searching for eggs and chicks within reach;
so carefully look for where eggs might be resting;
if you find them it means the Hoodies are nesting.
🐣 Have a Safe and Happy Easter 🐣