At Windsor Park in Riverside, just outside Launceston in northern Tasmania, a masked lapwing has claimed prime real estate in the middle of a community sports ground, showing complete indifference to the weekend cricket matches taking place around it.
asserted
lapwing → claim → it
Warming a nest of eggs, the bird has been affectionately dubbed “Faf Swoop Plessis” by locals – a play on former South African cricket captain Faf du Plessis.
asserted
bird → warm → Plessis
Because the species is protected under state law, carrying fines of up to $21,300 for disturbing nests, ground staff have had to mow around the site, while players steer clear.
asserted
players → protect → site
During a match early in the season, Great Northern Raiders player Caleb Brewer drew the short straw and was stationed directly beside the nest.
asserted
Brewer → draw → nest
“At the start it was pretty weird, but towards the middle we kind of got used to it and the plover wasn’t too bad at the end,” Brewer told local paper The Examiner.
asserted
Brewer → get → paper
The following weekend, Riverside first-grade opener Josh Partridge was tasked with fielding near the plover, but reached a peaceful “mutual understanding”, according to The Examiner.
uncertain
Partridge → task → Examiner
“It was like the plover knew there was a game of cricket going on,” he said.
asserted
he → know → cricket
“We weren’t interfering with what was going on in its life, so it didn’t want to interfere with what was going on in ours.”
asserted
what → interfere → ours
That kind of sporting truce is common, according to Mark Holdsworth OAM from BirdLife Tasmania.
uncertain
kind → accord → Tasmania
“Lapwings will often become accustomed to the local patterns of people using a site and in many situations people modify their behaviour to avoid the core nesting area,” Holdsworth said.
asserted
Holdsworth → become → area
Everyone has learned to live with each other.
asserted
Everyone → learn → other
”
While masked lapwings – widely known across Australia as plovers – have an intimidating call and reputation for swooping during spring nesting season, choosing a wide-open lawn is actually a calculated survival tactic.
asserted
choosing → know → lawn
Sports ovals are a “fantastic place” for them to nest, Holdsworth said, because unobstructed views mean parent birds can spot threats early.
asserted
birds → nest → threats
Sean Dooley from BirdLife Australia also said that what looks like eccentric behaviour to humans makes sense for plovers.
asserted
looks → say → plovers
“The places they choose to nest can seem crazy from our perspective, but there is logic to it,” Dooley said.
asserted
Dooley → choose → it
“They like to nest out in the open so they can see danger coming and they rely on camouflage to hide their eggs and their chicks.
asserted
they → like → eggs
So by nesting on an oval, they have a clear view in all directions.”
asserted
they → nest → directions
He said that when people give the bird a wide berth, lapwings generally realise they are not under threat.
asserted
they → say → threat
“They definitely aren’t out to get us by nature, they really only care about making sure their chicks aren’t being threatened …
asserted
chicks → get → nature
“Swooping isn’t their only tactic; they also put on a display that mimics having a broken wing to lure potential threats away.
asserted
that → put → threats
They’re just being good parents and doing all they can to protect their young.”
asserted
they → do → young
Lapwing eggs hatch after 28 to 30 days of shared incubation by both parents.
asserted
eggs → hatch → parents
If a clutch is infertile, incubation can continue for several weeks, while birds will often nest again at the same site if their eggs are destroyed.
asserted
eggs → continue → site
Once hatched, the chicks quickly leave the nest.
asserted
chicks → hatch → nest
Dooley said parent birds carry stray egg fragments away to avoid attracting predators, before guiding their offspring across the turf.
asserted
birds → say → turf
“If we can just give them their space, they can move away from the nest area once they are walking,” he said.
asserted
he → give → area
The West Tamar mayor, Christina Holmdahl, said council maintenance teams look after dozens of parks and sporting grounds across the municipality, encountering at least 10 nesting sites every year.
asserted
teams → say → sites
“Given the protected listing of the masked lapwings in Tasmania, our staff take their responsibility of looking after these birds very seriously and take extra precautions to protect the birds and any nests they find,” Holmdahl said.
asserted
Holmdahl → give → birds
Council workers maintain strict buffer zones around the birds and their nests when conducting maintenance.
asserted
workers → maintain → maintenance
“The plovers never act aggressively towards our staff on the ground,” she said.
asserted
she → act → ground
The standoff coincides with the annual Aussie Bird Count which runs from Monday 19 October.
asserted
which → coincide → Monday
Now in its 13th year, the national citizen science project invites the public to record bird sightings to help researchers track how native species are coping with urban development and a changing climate.
asserted
species → invite → development
Last year, the Australian magpie was the most commonly spotted species, while the rainbow lorikeet recorded the highest overall tally.
asserted
lorikeet → spot → tally
“The count is a great opportunity to discover the birds that share your neighbourhood and understand more about them,” BirdLife Australia’s James Johnson said.”
asserted
Johnson → discover → them
For many of us, that’s likely to include the amazing masked lapwing.”
asserted
that → ’ → lapwing
The Aporia
