Dog owners are being urged to be aware of native birds that may be on beaches, and to keep dogs on a leash in these areas where they could cause any disturbance to birds such as dotterels or fairy tern.

Locals have reported animals off-leash and disturbing the birds. Here is one local’s experience:

“Walking along the boardwalk close to the rocks on the northern end of Omaha on Sunday afternoon at 2.30 p.m., a dog comes racing towards us along the dunes area chasing and scattering dotterels along the way.

“We called the dog to come to us. It hesitated long enough for me to get a photo, then it ran back the way it had come, we searched for it but couldn’t locate it.

“We phoned the council, as we were standing right by the sign. They were not able to locate the dog, and thought it was most likely owned by someone in a bach.

“It was extremely disturbing to see the distressed birds and frustrating not to be able to do anything.”

Last year, the rules surrounding dogs on beaches changed, allowing dogs to be off-leash later in the year. Although this is great news for dog owners, it isn't such great news for some of the wildlife who use this time to breed and nest.

Time and season laws are placed over busy periods in public places to avoid conflict between dogs, wildlife and people. Previously from Labour Weekend until March 31^st, dogs were prohibited in on many of our local beaches between 10.00 a.m. and 7.00 p.m.

The change adopted by Auckland Council last year shortened the period these rules were in place. Dogs are now restricted from December 1st to March 1st and only prohibited from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., giving dog owners another five weeks and an extra two hours in the evening to take their dogs out.

Please respect the rules and the local wildlife.