The hard work to protect and monitor Victoria's hooded plovers by the Conservation Regulator, Parks Victoria and BirdLife Australia has continued, with 52 chicks fledged from the 133 breeding pairs monitored over the beach nesting season along our coast, including Phillip Island and San Remo.

Survival of the chicks has been the focus of Operation Save our Hoodies (SoHo) over the past four years, supporting breeding hooded plovers with targeted education and enforcement patrols.

Hooded plovers are classified as a vulnerable species, with fewer than 600 individuals remaining in Victoria and approximately 3000 across southeastern Australia.

Their nests, consisting of eggs laid in shallow sand scrapes, are highly susceptible to disturbances. Chicks have a one per cent survival rate, one of the lowest among Australian birds, due to threats like human activity, dogs, and predators such as foxes.

There were 320 patrols conducted on the Victorian coast in the 2024-25 breeding season, engaging with 1072 people.

Twenty-one people were fined for offences, including disturbing nesting birds and owners not under control of their dogs in hooded plover habitat.

"We're thankful for the volunteers and public assistance in helping to protect these vulnerable little birds, such as paying attention to signage, keeping dogs on leads, and reporting wildlife crime," said Han Auld, Forest and Wildlife Officer, Conservation Regulator.

"We'll continue to engage with local communities to educate and inform them of how to best utilise the great outdoors while protecting our Hoodies."

BirdLife Australia along with their volunteers, conducted research on reproductive success of breeding hooded plovers which continues to build on our understanding of the beach nesting bird.

"BirdLife Australia Volunteers have done an amazing job over the past several years monitoring reproductive success and protecting breeding sites," said Dr Daniel Lees, Coastal Birds Project Officer, BirdLife Australia.

"It's thanks to their efforts in combination with support from land managers that the Hooded Plover population has stabilised."

Operation Soho received a boost in Gippsland this year thanks to the dedicated work of an additional Forest and Wildlife Officer for the region funded through a Saving Native Species Grant from the Commonwealth Government. This increased education and enforcement patrols at nesting areas, improving community awareness of the operation.

You can report wildlife crime to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.