New egg laid - new challenge

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The new pair decided to go with a place I think is going to be a huge challenge. It is directly opposite the 2 right of ways that villagers use to take themselves, and sometimes the family pet as well, across the channel to Deeban Spit.

This position is further down the beach than where the masked lapwings had their 2 unsuccessful nests so may keep the eggs safe from the fox, but is directly in front of where the ravens have their nest.

Seems Spring has been missed and we are moving straight into summer.

Looking for volunteers that can put in an hour or two for data recording, scanning of the beach for likely threats (such as cruising boats with dogs on board) or people with dogs coming from either end of the Spit. If you have a pair of binoculars these come in very handy as I only have the one pair. This will be done from my place, upstairs level and I will be down either on the beach or on the steps at the bottom of my garden as I will be trying to get people to walk the front edge of the beach rather than creek side. Our birds are very nervous nesters when anyone is creek side, and given the high temperatures expected this weekend, we would like to keep them on nest as much as possible.

If you can volunteer please text me or ring me on Thursday or Friday with the day and preferred time slot (from 10 am through to 6pm) and how long you would like on shift and I'll then give you my address for parking. Anyone volunteering for Sunday we will probably need to reconfirm as there is, at this stage, a 50% chance of showers.

Yesterday, being a Tuesday, I would have expected everything to be really quiet. But I went across at 8am for fence maintenance and, as it turned out, was there just in time as there were three kids about to launch two drones directly over the nest site. I did ask them to go further down the Spit but they chose to go down towards the Basin, and disturb the birds that way, before going deeper into the Basin. I had to go out shopping and then didn't come back until around 4 to find fisher people constantly knocking the bird off nest as they were directly in front of the nest and moving backwards and forwards, movements the birds hate. I got them moving along past the fence line, which they were really happy about as they actually started catching some decent sized fish and was heading home when the birds fled the nest because the people with the golden and chocolate labradors were in the creek right in front of the nest. Then two other solo people walking along the fence creek side. I don't know how it was out there while I was out shopping, hopefully not as bad as when I got home.

Given all that activity for a Tuesday, we might be in for a busy weekend.

For those unfamiliar with the area I have included a video giving a view of Deeban Spit.