Breakfast with rare gulls at Maketu fits the bill

• Published date: 04 November 2021
• Publication title: Te Puke Times

Maketū Ongatoro Wetland Society’s (MOWS) Breakfast with the Gulls offers a chance to see the black-billed gulls on Maketū Spit.

The spit is home to a huge gull colony that has over 3000 red-billed gull nests and about 20 black-billed gull nests, and there is a chance to cross the estuary entrance to visit the colony with MOWS on Saturday morning.

The event aims to raise awareness of the plight of several at-risk species and the work that MOWS does to protect the unique coastal duneland at Maketū Spit.

The sandy peninsula is a breeding site for New Zealand dotterels, variable oystercatchers, gulls and white-front terns.

Native shore skinks and numerous invertebrates also call the spit home.

In 2008, MOWS started trapping predators to protect New Zealand dotterel from pest animals, and for nearly a decade it has maintained the dune system by removing weeds and monitoring the numbers of native species.

Slowly, the numbers of breeding birds have grown, and there were record numbers of gulls and dotterels last year.

At this time of year, from the Maketū Surf Club, keen birdwatchers can enjoy the scenes of the...