Hooded Plover Training Workshop

How much do you know about the birds nesting on our beaches?

Hooded Plovers lay their eggs directly on the sand, where the eggs and chicks are well camouflaged and easy to miss. Find out more about the fascinating life of the Hooded Plover and other threatened beach-nesting bird species at a workshop in Mallacoota on Thursday 22 October, presented by the BirdLife Australia Beach-nesting Birds Project Team.

What to expect

The workshop will show you how to identify our beach-nesting birds, what threats they face, and how you can help protect them.

• Identify: how to recognise Hooded Plovers and other beach-nesting birds on our beaches.
• Understand the threats: what puts nests, eggs and chicks at risk.
• Help: how to protect nesting birds, and how to volunteer with the project, which has been running since 2006.

Can’t make the workshop? Come along to the beach walk at Betka. A spotting scope will let you watch the birds and their quirky behaviour, and learn how to read their leg flags.

Event details

Date: Thursday 22 October 2026
Workshop: 9.30am to 1.00pm, Community Clubrooms
Beach walk: from 1.30pm (meet at the Betka Beach Carpark)
Lunch: Light lunch provided at the workshop

Did you know? Without our help, there is only a 2.5% chance an egg will survive to adulthood.

How to register

Please register by Tuesday 20 October so we know numbers and dietary requirements for lunch.

Contact Mel Sheedy: melissa.sheedy@birdlife.org.au or phone 0466 225 459.

Learn before you come

• Meet the Hooded Plover (BirdLife Australia bird profile)
• Protecting birds on the beach: steps for beachgoers
• About the Beach-nesting Birds program
• Ways to volunteer with BirdLife Australia

Acknowledgement

This project is supported by the Victorian Government through the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) Victorian Landcare Government Grants program.