Little Ringed Plover second breeding attempt PART 2

Site of nest, at far end of pond

The pair of Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) chose a nesting site very close to the access steps. The following image shows one of the birds incubating:
 

Little Ringed Plover nesting site

Egg-laying started at the end of May, with both male and female taking part in incubation. Here, the male settles down for a spell:

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) at nest

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) incubating

Everything seemed to be going according to plan, until one day I photographed a ginger cat hunting a mouse very close to the plovers' nest. The male plover surprisingly held his ground, only getting up when the cat lunged towards him. Once the cat moved away again, the bird calmly returned to the nest, which is visible in the lower right hand corner of the following images:

Feral cats were obviously going to cause problems, so I contacted the Environmental Agency who promptly made some enquiries. It turned out that there was a cat colony in the area, an unknown number of stray cats which had initially been trapped, neutered and released by volunteers from a local animal protection group. The feeding station was just outside the irrigation pond in which the plovers were nesting. 

Over the next few days I spotted various other felines in the vicinity, though none in the bottom of the empty reservoir. Nevertheless, something had to be done if the plovers' second breeding attempt was to prosper.

Negotiations between the environmental agents and the animal group led to about four cats being trapped or captured by volunteers, and relocated to other colonies. Several other animals were left still roaming the area, however.

Other potential threats facing the breeding plovers included harassment or predation by stray or free-roaming dogs; inadvertent disturbance or damage to the eggs caused by people transiting through the nesting area; resident avian predators, of which more later.

As a protection measure against dogs and people, the environmental agency eventually placed a barrier across the steps inside the reservoir, impeding access to the bottom. Signage warning of nesting birds was considered unwise, given that it might attract unwanted attention to the location.