Ringed Plovers in Sobieszewo: Tiny Birds, Big Challenges

Here at Ladybird Tours, we don’t just run nature tours—we also give a bit back to the landscapes we love. As part of the WWF Blue Patrol, we volunteer our time to protect the Baltic coast’s wildlife, joining a network of over 200 trained responders who support seals, birds, and marine habitats all along Poland’s shoreline.

Our volunteering includes beach patrols, visits to schools, taking part in educational picnics—and, at this time of year, helping one of the coast’s smallest and most vulnerable residents: the ringed plover.

Meet the Ringed Plover: A Beach-Nesting Specialist

The ringed plover sieweczka obrożna, (Charadrius hiaticula) is a small wader, no bigger than a blackbird. With its sandy-coloured back, striking black ‘necklace’, bright orange legs and a short orange bill tipped in black, it’s both adorable and brilliantly camouflaged against the sand.

Plovers thrive on open, quiet beaches—just like the wide, natural shoreline we’re lucky to have in Sobieszewo. From May to August, they nest directly on the sand, laying eggs in shallow scrapes that are nearly impossible to spot unless you know what you're looking for.

Flightless and Fragile: 24 Days of Risk

Once hatched, ringed plover chicks are mobile within hours, following their parents around the beach in search of food. But here’s the catch: they can’t fly for around 24 days.

That’s three and a half weeks of danger—during which they’re easy prey for predators and highly vulnerable to disturbance. A chick might be fast on its feet, but it’s no match for a dog, a gull, or a curious person stepping too close.

The Many Threats They Face

While humans (and our dogs) are the most visible source of disturbance, these birds are under pressure from a whole cast of natural predators too:

• Foxes and martens, who will sniff out and dig up nests

• Crows, especially carrion crows, which opportunistically raid eggs

• Gulls, including herring gulls, that pick off both eggs and chicks

• Birds of prey like kestrels and sparrow hawks

• Other waders, such as lapwings or oystercatchers, who may attack neighbouring nests

• Corvids like magpies and jays

• Even coots and moorhens have been known to disturb or prey on plover chicks

  
  

In short: if you’re a flightless fluffball on a busy beach, life’s tough.

How We Help: Extra Protection for Their Precious Nests

As WWF Blue Patrol volunteers, when we discover a ringed plover nest, we take immediate action to give it the best possible chance of success:

🛡️ We install a protective cage over the nest. These specially designed cages are dug deep into the sand to prevent foxes or martens from digging underneath. The net openings are too small for predators to reach through, but large enough for the adult plovers to come and go without difficulty.

🐣 We fence off a wide area—usually around 20 metres—to give the plover parents space to rear their chicks in peace. This buffer is essential; plovers need both the nesting site and enough room to forage, move, and escape danger.

🚩 We mark the site clearly and stay nearby to educate the public. Sometimes, people assume we’re "keeping the birds captive", but nothing could be further from the truth. The birds can move in and out freely—it’s the predators we’re trying to keep out.

What We Ask of You

Sobieszewo’s beach is wonderfully wide—there’s plenty of space for everyone to enjoy the sun, sea and sand without harming its wild residents. Here’s how you can help:

🐾 Keep dogs on leads, especially near marked areas. Even the best-trained dog may instinctively chase or snap at a small moving chick.

⛺ If you’re camping out for the day, set up away from fenced zones. Even sitting outside the marked area can stress the adults enough that they won’t approach the shoreline to feed their chicks—leading to hunger and exhaustion.

👣 Give space. The less time humans spend near nests, the more time the adults spend parenting.

🔭 Observe from a respectful distance. Binoculars are your best friend!

Want to See Ringed Plovers Responsibly?

You don’t have to be a bird expert to enjoy these charming little beach dwellers. Ringed plovers can often be seen darting across the shore, outside of the protected zones. Watching their determined scurrying and hearing their soft piping calls is a real treat—and something we love sharing on our nature tours.

Join us for a walk through Ptasi Raj or Mewia Łacha, and we’ll show you how to spot them, share their fascinating behaviours, and explain how you’re helping just by being mindful.

🌊 Book your summer nature tour today

Let’s keep Sobieszewo wild—and welcoming—for plovers and people alike.