Dotterels at home on airport runway

Tuesday, 8 October 2024

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One of New Zealand’s smallest birds is living amongst planes on the runway at Wellington Airport.

Wellington photographer Steve Wass captured the photo of a banded dotterel chick next to the wheel of a plane.

Rather than looking for the tiny dotterel, he scanned the runway for movement. Finally, his patience was rewarded when he spotted a chick in a lane used by taxiing planes.

“I just sat there and looked and looked for it.”

Wass, who travels widely across the region to snap birds, said he was unsuccessfully looking for another bird, the cirl bunting.

Aware that dotterel were nesting at the airport, Wass turned his attention that way, when he heard the distinct call of a dotterell.

'I thought I would just sit at the end of the airport and take some photos and I heard the dotterell and I just sat and looked and listened and then I observed mum in the middle of the runway.'

He took hundreds of shots and managed to get about a dozen in focus but was delighted with the results.

The picture of the dotterel next to the wheel of a plane accurately showed how close the bird was to the aircraft, he said.

Wass, who works as a joiner, has been photographing birds for 40 years and said it was a rewarding hobby that let him connect with nature.

Dotterels are master of disguise and being so small are hard to spot and even harder to photograph.

So the image has another Wellington photographer Simon Woolf singing Wass’ praises. Woolf said it was one of the most remarkable wildlife photos he had ever seen.

It told a powerful story about the ability of a tiny bird to survive, against all odds, and represents photo journalism at its finest.

Woolf says he had heard there were dotterels nesting on the runway but he had not been able to spot them.

“I am not sure how large the little colony is, it could be two or three pairs. They have been there for ten years or so.”

Wass deserves a lot of credit for taking such a difficult photo that tells a powerful story.

“It is a fantastic capture, when you think of the rarity of the banded dotterel and it is comfortable to nest there…that is one of those photos that portrays the impact of man on the environment.”

The photos were taken from 70 metres and Wass suspects the family was nesting in a gravel patch at the southern end of the runway.

Wellington Airport’s wildlife officer Jack Howarth said there were three nests of banded dotterels at the far southern end of the runway.

“They have been there for many years and given how small the dotterels are, they are unlikely to cause any issue for aircraft,” he said.

They were also “fairly safe” themselves as they were on part of the runway that was only used when aircraft departed to the north, in which case the birds had plenty of warning to get out of the way.

“If anything, they are likely to be safer here as there are no predators like cats around.”

The airport had been keeping an eye on chick numbers and was working with conversation group Miro (Mainland Island Restoration Operation) to band the birds so they could be tracked. It also ensured the nests were not affected by regular mowing.

According to New Zealand Birds Online there are 50,000 banded dotterels. The population is declining due to habitat loss, and being killed by cats, mustelids, rats and hedgehogs.

Greater Wellington is reminding Wellingtonians that dotterel breeding is under way and to be careful with dogs.

Dotterels nest along coastlines and rivers, laying their eggs on the ground in soft sandy areas and gravel flats, making them very hard to spot. The recent death of a 7-year-old banded dotterel in Kaikoura involving a quad bike highlighted the importance of being vigilant.

Steps you can take to help protect dotterel:

• Watch your step – nests are camouflaged and easy to miss

• Stay out of fenced areas

• Keep dogs on a leash – chicks are especially vulnerable

• Avoid driving on beaches

Key locations include Eastbourne and the Waikanae Estuary Riversdale Beach, Castlepoint, Petone, Baring Head, Opouawae River, White Rock Beach and Ocean Beach. Miro was in the ninth year of protecting and studying the birds at Eastbourne and Parangahau Lakes and the fourth year at Baring Head.

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