One with the Birds
Channel: Daily Insight
Date: 2017-12-01

Every weekday morning, my son and I walk to school crossing a few fields and ovals as we go. We see many Australian birds during our travels – Magpies, Crows, Ravens, Crested Pigeons, Galahs, Cockatoos, Butcherbirds, Sparrows, Kookaburras, Swallows, Peewees, Noisy Miners, Currawongs, Lorikeets, Wattlebirds, Finches, Doves, Wrens, Ibis, and Willie Wagtails. I’ve been slowly teaching him all the names as well as learning a few myself. But the bird that has most grabbed our attention recently is the Masked Lapwing, commonly known as the Plover.

Plovers are a ground-dwelling bird who spend most of their days walking around on fields looking for insects and grubs to eat. They usually build their nests out in the open at ground level, despite the obvious risks involved. Luckily for them, the local council are very aware of their presence and intentionally don’t mow over their nests, even though the nests are quite hard to spot from a distance.

Every morning we get to experience all the different bird calls, the chirps, the screeches; the swallows flying around us in circles, almost as if they’re playing a game with us; the galahs feeding on the grass in the early sun; the magpies pacing the open areas looking for grubs; and the plovers strutting about on the fields protecting, teaching, and guiding their newborn chicks.

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RELATED LINKS
Masked lapwing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masked_lapwing
Magpies swooping? You should try making friends with them, expert says
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-31/make-friends-with-magpies-to-avoid-swooping-expert-says/8856438
Birds in Backyards: top 30 urban birds
https://australianmuseum.net.au/birds-in-backyards-top-30-urban-birds

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