I have finally managed to find time to put together this first edition of Cape Chatter for 2025. While much of the northern half of Australia is wet and indeed flooding, the south has been under a prolonged dry period. With nearby farm dams and natural wetlands drying up, and water levels in the constructed wetlands within the estate low, our native animals and birds need to adapt to these conditions. It has been a busy summer with a lot of my time spent on the nearby beaches volunteer monitoring and working in support of the Hooded Plover recovery effort coordinated by BirdLife Australia with supporting partners, including The Cape. But, I have managed to keep one eye on what is happening in nature ‘beyond the dunes’, especially around the home gardens and wetlands, which are vital habitat areas when tough conditions like these persist.
Cape Chatter 
Thank you David – beautiful photos!
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Thank you – appreciated!
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Thanks David – v interesting as usual 🙏Cheryl Padgett0409685281cpofcp@icloud.comSent from my iPhone
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Thank you Cheryl
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Awesome work by all volunteers, especially David Hartney, our great wildlife chronicler. So lucky to have you in our community!
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Thanks Rebecca, appreciate the kind words and feedback.
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Awesome work by all volunteers, especially David Hartney, our great wildlife chronicler. So lucky to have you in our community!
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Awesome work by all wildlife volunteers. And thanks especially to David for recording it all.
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LOL, sorry for all the comments – this platform is a little laggy!
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Hi David, We had a pair of plovers which nested in a small park near our home. It is close to a busy roundabout but the parents were diligent and the last time I saw the two chicks they were well developed so expect they survived. One year we had a plovers nest on the median strip next to the guardhouse. Best wishes, Ian
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Thanks Ian. I think you are referring to Masked Lapwings which many confuse with Hooded Plovers. They have similar defence mechanisms but Lapwings are very aggressive against threats, Hoodies more articulate and try and distract predators. Hooded Plovers only nest on beaches in SE Australia, Masked Lapwings as you say, will nest anywhere! Thanks David
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