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Threatened shorebirds are returning to breed and forage at Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest beaches and discovered nests are being fenced for protection MidCoast Council and partners have undertaken a range of measures this season including fencing and fox baiting in breeding areas to protect these endangered birds as they nest and raise hatchlings. An initial five month program of 1080 baiting to control foxes is underway, due for completion on 30 November. So far, the program has removed around 11 foxes from the target areas, with no takes by wild or domestic dogs or other non-target species. "Beach users will have seen the warning signs on fenced areas," says MidCoast Council's Manager of Natural Systems, Gerard Tuckerman. "It's essential that dogs and pets are kept away from fenced and signed areas as fox baits are highly toxic to dogs." Foxes can decimate eggs and chicks overnight and a fox control program is needed to control numbers of these feral animals. Dog exclusion and exercise areas are available on MidCoast Council's website along with a map of exclusion zones at midcoast.nsw.gov.au/ShareTheShore. "We're appealing to the community to help us protect the birds," said Mr Tuckerman. "The message is that us humans need to 'share the shore' and this means driving only on permitted beaches below the high tide mark, and keeping people and domestic dogs away from fenced areas on beaches." The beaches around Harrington, Manning Point, Old Bar and Farquhar Park are nationally significant nesting sites for endangered Little Terns, Pied Oystercatchers and Beach Stone-curlews. The birds nest on our beaches in summer, with extremely well-camouflaged eggs and chicks on sand nests being almost invisible. Fox baiting is just one of the measures undertaken to protect the shorebirds. Taree Indigenous Development and Employment (TIDE) installed the new fencing and signage on the beaches at known nesting sites. Community education campaigns were run at Manning schools during the winter and for people applying for beach driving permits, to ensure drivers understand the importance of keeping within the high tide mark. You can read more about this multi-agency program to protect the shorebirds' nesting area, and what you can do to help, at the Share the Shore web page above.

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