Hello all. As I have mentioned in the intro section. I am a South Australian guy who is currently sleeping rough and have found myself befreinded by a wonderffull little friend in the shape of a plover (masked Lapwing to be exact). I called him/her Pipsqueak and he started following me about in the area (Brighton beach). He had been regularly resting right alongside me while I am sleeping. I read somewhere they don't actually sleep as such (at least not as we do) because their vulnerability to predictors dictates many of their habits and characteristics. We had something in common both being ground dwellers sleeping rough. LOL!
I was going to ask more about how to sex it and whether fedding it (he loved sharing my almonds if I crushed them) was advisable etc. Also I had noticed he had never made the typical plover call of a Lapwing, so I wondered if he was actually a mature adult (his face wattles don't look as prominent as the online pics and videos I have seen) So I played some calls to him on my tablet from youtube.videos To my amazement he was poking around up the road the next morning and I was awoken to his distinct AK AK AK AK plover cries.
I felt elated an pondered the likelihood that it was coincidence. Not likely though. That afternoon I saw him aggressively diveboming and swooping at seagulls while voiciferously crying out AK AK AK AK.... (lapwing plover for 'bugger off you flying rats').
Anyhow I had one more night with him (or her) and the following day (the day before yesterday or Tuesday) I never saw him not did he come 'home' to roost or rest. And I hahaven't seen him since. I miss that little bugger already and I now wonder if he has migrated (we are coming into winter here), where will he go and will he be likely to return? Lots of questions and hopes that I can get to find out if he/she finds a mate and where it's offspring would live.
Oh well. Better to have loved and lost...., a bird in the bush... and all that. Yet I will miss that little Pipsqueak. I really will.
I was going to ask more about how to sex it and whether fedding it (he loved sharing my almonds if I crushed them) was advisable etc. Also I had noticed he had never made the typical plover call of a Lapwing, so I wondered if he was actually a mature adult (his face wattles don't look as prominent as the online pics and videos I have seen) So I played some calls to him on my tablet from youtube.videos To my amazement he was poking around up the road the next morning and I was awoken to his distinct AK AK AK AK plover cries.
I felt elated an pondered the likelihood that it was coincidence. Not likely though. That afternoon I saw him aggressively diveboming and swooping at seagulls while voiciferously crying out AK AK AK AK.... (lapwing plover for 'bugger off you flying rats').
Anyhow I had one more night with him (or her) and the following day (the day before yesterday or Tuesday) I never saw him not did he come 'home' to roost or rest. And I hahaven't seen him since. I miss that little bugger already and I now wonder if he has migrated (we are coming into winter here), where will he go and will he be likely to return? Lots of questions and hopes that I can get to find out if he/she finds a mate and where it's offspring would live.
Oh well. Better to have loved and lost...., a bird in the bush... and all that. Yet I will miss that little Pipsqueak. I really will.
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