Take a stroll along Hahei Beach in the Coromandel, and it won't take long before you come across the local dotterel population.
Often, the parents stand guard with their little ones nestling under strewn driftwood not far behind - and Department of Conservation (DoC) dotterel ranger Frouk Miller watches over them all.
Dotterel birds in the Coromandel have been enjoying the peace and quiet of empty beaches during lockdown, but with summer holidaymakers taking over the coastal towns, Miller has her hands full keeping people and dogs away from the nests.
Because the birds nest on the beach itself and are visible, she says people don't realise they're endangered.
"Our dotterel population is actually less than some kiwi, so the numbers are still low," she says.
There are only around 2500 Northern dotterel putting the species at risk of dying out. Miller says looking after the species is equal parts conservation and pest-eradication and she can't do it alone.
Twelve years ago, volunteer Alison Henry literally stumbled across the birds.
"I was walking along the beach, very nearly trod on a nest and started protecting the birds myself," she says.
She's one of several DoC volunteers along Coromandel beaches, who set traps for pests like stoats and possums.
This year, lockdowns coincided with the breeding season, giving the dotterels some much needed space. But once they've hatched, parents are kept busy warding predators away from their chicks who can't fly for at least six weeks.
Miller says the parent-birds act as though they've injured their wings or cause a distraction to draw away predators.
"What we call a rat run, it looks like they crouch down and run very fast, and it looks like something a dog or predator will want to chase," she said.
DoC fences off the nests and puts up signage, calling for beach goers to give the birds space and asking for dogs to be kept on leashes.
They’re counting on teamwork, from volunteers and the public, to help dotterels survive.
