I’m Not Fully Masked Yet… Baby Plover



Panasonic Lumix DMX-FZ35 Southland New Zealand October 2011
FEATURED: Animal captions & confessions, Images of endearment, Baby Wildlife of the world, The Brids

It was time to take a break from the tax, garden, baby sitting Dinky duck and tending to a sick hubby. I took a wander through the neighbouring paddocks armed with my camera… I was beginning to have withdrawal symptoms (missing your lovely works/taking photos…) I was pleasantly rewarded with a little baby plover. I thought there may have been little ones or a nest… because the parents did not welcome me into their neighbourhood with open wings. I was mindful of each step I took… I know the baby plovers lie very still and they are not easily spotted as they look just like a mound of dirt… another one of natures wonderful designs with camouflage. I spotted the wee fellow and was careful not to touch him too much, using one finger I lifted his head gently, his cute face was worth seeing. I took a few shots with the other hand and then left them in peace to go about their daily business… They are such cute little balls of fluff, with their long legs they remind me of Dandelion balls only they are brown….

The Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles), previously known as the Masked Plover and often called the Spur-winged Plover or just Plover in its native range, is a large, common and conspicuous bird native to Australia, particularly the northern and eastern parts of the continent. It spends most of its time on the ground searching for food such as insects and worms and has several distinctive calls. This species is the largest representative of the family Charadriidae. There are two distinct races which until recently were thought to be separate species. The Northern Australian subspecies (Vanellus miles miles) has an all-white neck and large yellow wattles with the male having a distinctive mask and larger wattles. The subspecies found in the southern and eastern states (Vanellus miles novaehollandiae), and often locally called the Spur-winged Plover, has a black neck-stripe and smaller wattles. (Note that the northern-hemisphere Spur-winged Plover is a different bird.) The birds have a wide range of calls which can be heard at any time of the day or night: the warning call, a loud defending call, courtship calls, calls to its young, and others. Since this bird lives on the ground it is always alert and even though it rests it never sleeps properly. Masked Lapwings are most common around the edges of wetlands and in other moist, open environments, but are adaptable and can often be found in surprisingly arid areas. Masked Lapwings are shy and harmless in summer and autumn but are best known for their bold nesting habits, being quite prepared to make a nest on almost any stretch of open ground, including suburban parks and gardens, school ovals, and even supermarket carparks and flat rooftops. They can be particularly dangerous at airports where their reluctance to move from their nesting area – even for large aircraft. The nesting pair defends their territory against all intruders by calling loudly, spreading their wings, and then swooping fast and low, and where necessary striking at interlopers with their feet and attacking animals on the ground with a conspicuous yellow spur on the carpal joint of the wing.

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