It's not quite Plover yet

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PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Two-and-a-half weeks after the first plover nest of the season was spotted on Plettenberg Bay's Lookout Beach, the first hatchling came into the world on 22 August.

Plovers are always a sight to behold along the Garden Route, prancing about the beaches and river banks all year long, but time only comes later in the year for them to begin spreading their wings and expanding their families.

Plover breeding season on the Garden Route is typically in full swing between the months of August and February and according to Nature's Valley Trust (NVT) conservation ecologist Brittany Arendse, Lookout Beach's plovers were right on time.

"The day we've all been waiting for has arrived!" Arendse said in a Facebook post on the NVT page on 5 August. "We have found our very first plover nest for the 2019/2020 season on Lookout Beach this morning."

The eggs proved to be about 15 days old according to Arendse, meaning they were most likely laid in late July. Pinky and Frenchie, the pair who laid the eggs on Lookout Beach, "never disappoint" according to Arendse, and are "always so dedicated to their nests and chicks".

A baby plover and egg are well disguised.

Speaking to Knysna-Plett Herald, Arendse explained that it typically takes 30 days for an egg to hatch, and from there a further 40 to 45 days for the chick to become independent and leave the nest. Unfortunately for Pinky and Frenchie however, their chick died before it could leave the nest last season, but their chick from the 2017/2018 breeding season, Chutney, "appears to have made Nature's Valley her home" Arendse said, on a much happier note. "She is spending a lot of time with Guppy, our fledge from last season," she clarified.

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Pinky and Frenchie will be hoping for a change this season however, after the first of their two eggs hatched last week Thursday 22 August, on Lookout Beach. According to Arendse, the hatchling was spotted on Friday 23 August, and was said to be one day old when they found it.

A plover's typical habitat, said Arendse, includes "sandy beaches and foraging on the waterline, but you can often also see them on mudflats or rivers and estuary banks", so be sure to keep an eye out for the plovers this spring and summer.

She further urged residents and beachgoers to bare in mind that Lookout Beach is not a dog-friendly beach, and to take extra care when visiting the beach this season.

An adult plover.