Dogs and birds breakfast together

March 4th, 2014
[TDC press release]

Around 50 dog walkers turned out to breakfast with the birds on Saturday morning at the Kumaras in Motueka.

Organised by Tasman District Council, Department of Conservation and Birds NZ, the "Dog's Breakfast" was the opportunity for people to learn about the birds of the foreshore and sandspit over a bacon and egg butty.

With the smell of sizzling bacon in the background, Ross Connochie, Tasman District Council Animal Control officer, spoke about the reasons behind the current dog control bylaw, and the upcoming review.

David Melville of BirdsNZ explained that variable oystercatchers and banded dotterel are key inhabitants of the sandspit area, along with the better-known godwits, who will be heading off on their 11,000km flight back to Alaska in a few weeks.

DoC Partnership Ranger Al Check says that the purpose of the breakfast was to raise awareness of dog owners about the significance of this area for shorebirds, and to enable them to be more informed about how they can minimise the disturbance to wildlife, while enjoying the benefits of an area such as this to walk their dogs.

"Simply walking well below the mean high tide mark markedly reduces the disturbance to birds," he said. "It's during the spring-summer period near high tide that birds are most vulnerable.

"This is also the nesting time for some species, and if disturbance occurs they may abandon their nests. A number of these birds are internationally significant and numbers across some species are declining.

"Dog owners are just one of many groups who utilize this area for recreation. It's important that we are all aware of how our actions influence the environment, and if we are to coexist we may need to modify how we have done things in the past. It was a fantastic turnout, and the messages were well received by dog owners."

One dog owner said, "Simply hosting the event helped to remind me of the bird life down at the spit, I will now take a little more time [to] watch out for birds. Thanks."

Most dog walkers took a sheet of images of the different bird species that can be found in the area, as well as free dog food and tennis balls supplied by Purina.

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