Photo: Gregor Richardson
Department of Conservation biodiversity manager Jim Fyfe urged people to keep their dogs on leashes at the beach, as nests of the bird, as well as those of red-billed gulls, were recently discovered on a nearby rock formation.
They had a ''whole lot of fledgling chicks just learning to fly'', he said.
''They're coming down on to the beach and they're pretty hopeless little things.''
Both species were considered at risk and in decline, he said.
''I was previously unaware of that particular rock stack being used as a breeding colony.''
