THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD BIRD IN AUSTRALIA
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2024
- If you live in the United States or Europe, you may think that plovers are merely a harmless wading bird. You may even have positive thoughts associated with them, such as the beginning of the warm seasons. If you are an Australian, you’ll beg to differ.
Plovers have had a reputation for being an aggressive swooping bird that will stop at nothing to defend their territory. Some would say that they are even worse than magpies. But do they really deserve the reputation that they have? In this video, we’ll discover the truth about plovers.
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G,day mates!
Thanks so much for watching and all the positive comments. I never expected this video to reach so many people, especially after it's been out for so long. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to check out my other stuff. Maybe even subscribe and become a member. I appreciate every bit of support.
Watched it till you brought politics into it. Schmuck.
We had a family of them in our backyard. They laid their eggs every year in the yard. They would yell at us but they never once bothered us. Even when we manhandled their eggs so we could mow the lawn. They even came to the door and screamed for help from us when one of the babies got tied up in weeds and couldn't get free. I think they are far more intelligent than most give them credit. Darling birds if you ask me.
Same as magpies
I have maggies visit me each year, they bring their young
I feed them every now and then, and their young learn from the parents and eventually approach me and allow me to hand feed them
One of these days, I'm going going to get them to land on my arm, that's my aim at least
They have never swooped me
We have the same with Currawongs and Maggies
They are a memory from my childhood, on summer school camp, that call flying over in the dark. I'll forgive them anything. But they don't do anything, just put their nests in funny places, walk very stately, have teeny babies and mate for life. I love them.
Yup, actually we have loads of different birds, plovers, magpies, king parrots, butcher birds, Pee-wee's, etc. 😂
I had 2 plovers or masked lapwings out in the paddock for years. I noticed there was only one and then later found the carcass of one of them. I took it and showed it to the other one and then dealt with it. Well, he has attached himself to me. I named him Gary and he comes up on my back deck for a treat. He even answers to his name. Follows me around everywhere I go and it is really sweet.
that is so sweet. i love birds
it's one of the sweetest things I have ever had happen to me. I feel very lucky :)@@444milk
I’m sorry but I just don’t believe it, there’s not a nice bone in those assholes bodies! 😂
That’s adorable. Poor thing lost his partner, I’m glad he’s comfortable around you and you are keeping him happy :)
So sweet. Birds are beautiful creatures.
Nothing sends fear through my soul as much as hearing a plover call. Far more terrifying than a magpie.
real cuz hearing a magpie you don't know they're going to attack you BUT HEARING A PLOVER dude that triggers fight or flight
Tennis racquet.
to me its not even scary its just annoying af. THEY GO OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT NEXT TO MY WINDOW
you can reason with a magpie. you can feed them and befriend them. very intelligent creatures. plovers have 6 brain cells and they spell the word hatred.
If you want to mess with a Plover’s head- imitate their call back at them, they fly away
Two plovers have laid 4 eggs on our hot metal roof, it’s 26 degrees today so I’m thinking they are cooking as we speak. Love from Sydney Australia
Sad to say the babies died. Several days of crazy heat on a mental roof then a huge storm with large wind gusts. The plovers weren’t there in the morning and I knew the babies were dead.
This birds are laying their 3 green eggs in my back yard lawn now it's not very funny when they swoop at me. Thanks from Queensland Australia
@@selvi1309 We called the parent birds paranoid schizophrenics. They would spot us through several windows and stand there screaming with their wings out at us as if we were going to murder their babies. Crazy and obsessed parents. 💕
Yes yes 100% crazy 🤣🤣🕊️
Do not worry.
I feel bad for these birds, they usually lay nests in locations that are bad for their safety. I used to have an empty paddock behind my house and they loved it. I would hear them all day. Sadly developers took over and ruined their homes. I remember when the work started to clear the land for building all day I would hear the plovers screaming and being stressed out, I felt so bad for them :(
Right? I live in suburbia and last week i notice 2 plovers with their baby out front of my house, and it was cool to see but theres so many cats in the neighbour hood there was just no shot. I havent seen the baby since the first day.
yes they might be protective but they aren’t the brightest bird, they always build nests on job sites.
It doesn’t matter if they have their nest somewhere first or if there’s a massive construction or transport yard first.. they will still build their nests with zero understanding of huge trucks rolling across these areas.. these plovers will go down swinging against our 70 tonne trucks.
Crows are so so much smarter and can work out the danger much better.
@@user-je9lq4iv7y cats are less a problem than people
A couple once made a nest in the middle of the lawn of one of my clients. The client said to just mow around them. I thought they would surely fly away. But I could mow right up to that nest and the mother would remain sitting in it calmly, guarding the egg, while the male swooped madly around me. Now that is dedicated parenting!
I had a nest where I was able to walk out every morning to check on the eggs. Never had the parents get agressive towards me, however they had no problems attacking walkers on the far side of an 8 foot chainwire fence about 50 metres away. I was also able to mow right up to the nest with eggs in it, just left an area the size of a dinner plate.
@@garyb47 Fascinating!! I'm new to plover love and I find your comment genuinely interesting.
Hi, I think they don't see the human on the mower. Step off it at your peril!
Cheers
Yeh they’re not like a kangaroo that’ll throw its Joey out the pouch when chased (to give the predator a meal). The plover will go down fighting against anything no worries at all.
@@petetherealrelentless6542they're the honey badger of the bird kingdom.
I am in construction in Brisbane ,plovers nesting on our sites are protected we do give them the space they need and we are happy to see their new babies ...our crew welcome swifts ,magpies ,they strut among us at smoko ... We also have curlews very beautiful ...And I have a few good recordings of families of woodducks ...beauitiful.
They are excellent security guards my two dogs learnt to use them night and day as early warning birds, nothing gets past them .
Mobile outposts
They make amazing parents, a few years ago there were a couple who were raising a chick in quite a busy location below my office window. I'm not sure what happened but somehow the baby died. Both parents both took turns to mourn and stand guard over the body, and defending it from passers by for a couple of days, all the while making their sad sounds. Its a sad story, but one which really came to appreciate them.
I found three dead chicks.They had been squashed.I assume a sadistic person killed them.The adults were distressed and like yours, were protective.The dead chicks were directly under a surveillance camera.I rang Frankston Council, who were responsible for the cameras and asked them to review the film to see if an animal cruelty crime had occurred.Unfortunetly none of the staff I spoke with could be bothered investigating.
@@petermcculloch4933that’s very sad. Maybe you should take it to any local media and stir up a fuss
Got them in newzealand aswell seen heaps of them
@petermcculloch4933 That's horrifying. Good on ya for trying. I hated plovers (until I found this video), but I would never have tried to harm them, especially little babies.
So did the one pair have three chicks? I've only just seen my first chick a couple of weeks ago, and I've only ever seen one egg at a time in any "nest" I have come across.
We had a couple set up shop outside the exit for our complex. I went for a walk up the shops before I found out they'd made a home, and almost stood on their baby. The path out cuts through a fence, and their chick was feeding close by. As I popped out of the opening in the fence, skipping the path and bounding across the grass with my usual nonchalant enthusiasm for nothing in particular, one of the parents started to flare up at me with that awful cackle, but within a couple of seconds it turned into a twisted, horrified screeching version, and I could see her totally freaking out, not knowing what to do, looking between me and the dad who was another 5 metres away, and he seemed to be saying "Sorry love, too late".
I was utterly bewildered, and then began to feel that sense of shock before utter dread as the thought was occurring that I may have inadvertently squashed their newborn under my feet. I looked down with a mini-prayer and could see a black & grey mass of fur right in front of my toes, motionless. I went around it and continued on my way, not so merrily now with the parents attacking me for what seemed longer than normal.
I was quite sad all the way to the shops and back because I thought I may have harmed it. Turns out they play dead or something. As I was returning, I saw the chick feeding for a little bit before the parents told it to hide.
Now I go armed with a pool noodle. They respect the noodle.
You just never know if they're right next to the path unless they're already making noise, and the other exit loops back past the silly buggers anyway, so pool noodle it is.
Is their "sad sound" much different to their usual?
This video is a hidden gem, glad it randomly crossed my recommends. Enjoyed the incredible over-explanation of egg development.
I feel like this is the kind of video that everyone in oz will click out of curiosity hahaha Their call is burned into most of our brains I think
Yeah it randomly appeared in my recommendations and we were just talking about them at dinner last night 😂 I'd say alot of people are talking about and searching them up at the moment since it's breeding season
yes!!
Shit yeah mate I fully agree
Cool video man. I'm in New Zealand and they are often seen here where I live in Hawke's Bay. The other day I saw two Plovers freak out when a hawk flew through in area they didn't want him to. They mercilessly harassed him, dive bombing him as he cruised through 😂. He was cool, calm and collected, giving slightly miffed head movements each time they caught up to him and tried to give him an on the wing stomp. Doing big circles and running up on him from behind. They left him alone after he flew past their invisible atmospheric boundary 😂. Was quite amusing.
These are extremely common in Tasmania too. They’ll sometimes extend their wings whilst still on the ground while making their warning calls before taking off and continuing those calls. It depends on how large the grassland they are in and how you arrive(in a vehicle or on foot). They also mate for life. They are a much underrated bird!
Yo I'm from tassie XD
I am to 👍 north west coast
@@david-cy9dd yo! No way! I'm launceston lol I use to live in Burnie back in the days X_X
@@thanellen8757lol small world,I grew up in Burnie well near Burnie I grew up in the thriving metropolis of Ridgley lol
dayuuum I'm heading up to burnie in a few weeks lol@@david-cy9dd
What a coincidence! I was driving through a neighbourhood in Terrigal today, and two Plovers walked up to the car and started screeching at me, so I slowed right down, and when I looked closer I saw two tiny little chicks! So I pulled over to the left, and up on to the footpath to go around them, and a car came zooming around the corner in the next lane, and ran straight over the two chicks! I saw it slow motion! Luckily, as the car passed I could see their cute little bodies get missed by the wheels! As it passed I got so angry! Within a minute they had walked off into the bush and I continued on with a high heart rate. Man that car didn’t even slow down. He saw me over to the left. He saw 2 adults on the road at least. Absolute C U Next Tuesday.
Geez people are just so careless &’sometimes purposely cruel. That would have distressed me, I am so happy to hear it ended well for them.
@@nes123ification Yeah I was so angry. They definitely saw them because I was up on the footpath and there were 2 adults, and 2 chicks on the road. I’m so glad they missed!
Yes l have actually seen deliberately done
In my primary school our oval was a prime nesting ground for many plovers in the area. Every lunch I’d sit right near the oval (behind a classroom) and watch. Sometimes Id draw, sometimes I’d read, or I’d just watch them. Eventually they got used to me and the babies sometimes would get curious and get just a meter or 2 away from me. Of course the parents were still protective but they never ever swooped me once, so I could sit maybe 10-15 meters away from the nest with no consequences while other kids just playing tag or something would get terrorised lmao.
I also used to do the same with magpies. I’d feed them, and when they had babies they’d bring the babies to our yard and they’d hang out there in the mango tree, or we’d give them food (healthy food of course like un processed meat, meal worms and grubs) never been swooped by them either
I think it’s stupid they have such a bad reputation for simply being good parents
I totally agree with your remark, they are good parents. Apparently, it's ok for us to be good parents and yell at people who dis our babies, but not ok for magpies, cockies and plovers, say some people. I love them all and they are very social, community minded, and make excellent parents. I'd take their parenting over humans any old day. Your story of school is lovely. Thanks.
We get them on our worksites here in Auckland,NZ. They generally only swoop you when you go close to there nests. I had one Female Lapwing that would let me get within a meter of the nest and we kept her safe till the eggs hatched. The chicks are cute, like a fluffy yellow bobble on stilts. I never knew they were called a masked lapwing so that’s something new I learned today and knowing is half the battle 🤣👌🏻
I worked at a regional airport and a hospital in central west NSW. At both locations we had pairs of plovers that nested and raise their chicks each year. We never had any problems with them as they were used to people being around all the time. It was great to watch them and see the chicks grow up and then fly away at the end of the season.
My favourite bird. They're like magpies and can recognise who they know is not a threat and will let you walk right past them without even reacting to you. They also take on the role of carer and guardian of any injured or defenceless young bird in their area.
We learnt some words, Dog, Human, Goanna .....they even have a different word for venomous snake to python
I think any animal can feel your energy because they live by instincts. They only react to protect themselves.
We also have several species of lapwings in South Africa, including crowned lapwings, blacksmith lapwings and african wattled lapwings. I'm glad to see it is not just us who were traumatized as children by these birds😂
gotta love em tho
As a kid two plovers had a nest on our football field and we used to run back and forth trying to avoid their swoops. One kid tripped, his pants fell down and it scratched his bare ass 😂
They’re plentiful this year. I had a family nest in the middle of the drive way. I had to relocate the nest so cars wouldn’t run them over. Was freighting indeed, but the parents found the nest and rebuilt it and are sitting on it now.
it was indeed freighting when you moved them, was it also frightening?
Thats brave. I probably would have relocated the driveway lol
@@cabletie69 Being a grammar nazi is so 2013
@@kingcosworth2643 it's a pun.
@@kingcosworth2643 They weren't correcting grammar. I believe they were pointing out a spelling mistake in the most humorous way possible that I can imagine, but I'm not funny.
What year am I in?
I had an incredible encounter with a Masked Lapwing. I was sitting on a rug at the beach one day and a little Masked Lapwing came to visit me. He scared the seagulls away for me so I gave him some food and he sat down on the edge of my rug and went to sleep - he had total trust in me! He was beautiful and a highly intelligent bird. It was such an incredible encounter, and one that I'll never forget! 🥰💗
I met a plover down at my local park just a few weeks ago, she’s very friendly and we’ve been hitting it off ever since, I invited her over to my place just last night and we had a juicy fish n chip dinner! Will keep you guys updated as it’s just hit November 😉
They are very numerous in the South Australian farming regions, often nesting on the town oval during the cricket season.
Yep I remember we had to close part of our school oval while they bested there every year
On my farm in S.E. Queensland we had 10acres of very low mown grass around the main home ( For bushfire control) and a permanent creek running around the boundary. They loved nesting there! All generations had run-ins with them. We had to mow, avoiding the hard to spot nests, of course. But they were always a danger. I've had many, far to close encounters, on the large mower. Otherwise, they were a beautiful bird, and heralded in the warmer weather. But stay away! Great video. And so accurate, I watched those birds for 60 years. The same families seem to use the same area for nesting, generation after generation.
I've never understood them hahaha I mean you can bribe magpies not to swoop you and be friends with them etc. But I've never had any interactions with them other than them walking by, Never been able to feed them and never been swooped or anything. I've always joked that the way they walk makes them look like they're up to something hahaha I guess it turns out I was right
In my experience, lapwings are really quite placid and uninterested in your presence outside of breeding season. That of course completely changes once nesting starts. I actually used to do a mowing job, and one of the places had this big field out the front, so one time I was mowing with the zero turn and both parents were out with 3 or 4 chicks, and every lap I came around, the male (I assume) would stretch the wings out and try to intimidate me and get my attention. I mean think about it, this was a roaring zero turn with a 50+ inch deck, and even that was little to deter them (until they had to move out of my way). I did eventually make a couple of feint bull rushes with the mower, and they started to leave me alone a bit more after the 4th or 5th lap. I did feel kind of bad with the chicks running around, but I had a job to do and they eventually moved to the mowed sections.
Oh mate, used to live nearby to Boggo Rd jail on the Southside of Brisbane. Anyway, there was a traffic island that about a hundred plovers (lapwings?) had decided was a suitable nesting ground and of course, it had a footpath surrounding it. So, when you walked around the traffic island, the whole bloody flock would come after you and even peck you while screaming in unison. 👁Quickly learned to not go near their traffic island but I pity the chap who had to mow the thing...
am impressed with the level of depth you went into researching these birds, damn!
The ones near me shout at me every time I walk past with my dogs, but all things considered, they're pretty chill. They rarely swoop. There are curlews that share the area for their nesting as well. They'll hold out their wings and try to scare you if you accidentally get too close.
I recall working a farm on the Mornington Peninsula years ago, I would be on the tractor near the dam and they would be trying to lure me away from the nest limping along with one wing out dragging on the ground.
They also tend to have nests on roundabout’s and traffic islands spending lots of time stressing out about the proximity of moving vehicles(idiots) not unlike humans buying houses near say an Airport or Racetrack and trying to get it shut down because they don’t like it.
Good video mate, thanks.
I don't know what the fuss is about plovers, they only swoop in nesting season and they give you so much warning that you're getting too close that there is no reason to run afoul of them.
It's simply "I've got a nest, keep away" and then the next step is "I said keep away" and finally it's "you asked for it".
We have a pair of Plovers in our area that breed all year round. Even in the middle of winter! They don't swoop me and my dogs anywhere as we give them the space to do what they want, and we don't bother the chicks. The Plovers usually have like 3-4 chicks and 1 usually makes it to adulthood. However, this time they figured out that by staying in our front yard, 3/4 of their chicks survived. We had to be so careful as to not disturb them when traffic comes.
I lived in a housing estate for 12 years and at the start of every spring, a pair would turn up, screaming at the top of their lungs at 4am, for the whole time I just thought they were noisy bastards, this year is the first spring I've not lived in the estate but I was back in there a couple weeks ago and I saw the reason for all the carry on, 2 little baby plovers doing their best the keep up with mum and dad, it feels like a missed opportunity now that I'm not there anymore to see the new years chicks.. they're very cute
I have 2 nest next to my driveway every year. At first they where very aggressive but as each year goes by and they see im not threat to their chicks they are cool.
as an australian, this video is great
Great video! Love the combination of dry humour and interesting info about our amazing bird life. Hope you’re inspired to make more…
I love these crazy floofs, very misunderstood birds. Seen some nasty nasty people and children doing horrible things to them. Great video, I wish more people would learn about our Australian critters and birds. Great video mate. 👍
Thanks very much! I've seen people do much worse stuff then plovers could be ever capable of. All you need to do is just watch the news.
they don't sleep either. I go walking at around 3am every morning and have lots of fun observing, dodging, and arguing with these things :)
They sleep an average of 15 minutes per night when they are with eggs and chicks.
I recall seeing Plovers regularly moving around in groups of between 5 and two dozen back when I lived near Mackay on the Central Queensland coast. I used to make jokes about Plover gangs because of this social behaviour which I never saw whilst observing them in SE Queensland. I also had the pleasure of being around Imperial Torresian Pigeons that would migrate during the nesting season.
At my school kids would always throw shoes and stuff to anger the plovers that would nest there so they could run away when swooped and it always made me so mad.
That would make me mad too.
They should just migrate to my place. Nice and peaceful there.
In North America we have a plover species that is equally as protective. The Killdeer plover nests on the ground and makes loud noises and tries to distract you with broken wing gestures when you get close to their nests
I live in WA and I've never seen any of these birds
"you may notice them when you go to work or school (super scary scream based jumpscare for a tenth of a second)" -this dude
Yeah you probably shouldn't watch my magpies video then.
Kinda hard to avoid plovers when they choose to make their nest on your front lawn. Terrorised me and my brother constantly while waiting for the bus every morning. The devoted parents thing surprised me as the pair living our lawn never raised a chick to adulthood, they'd always either drown in puddles, overheat or get eaten by foxes. And this is when they wearnt laying eggs right in the driveway.
FYI Plovers are everywhere in Tasmania as well, about time you mainlanders start recognising us 😂
As kids we used to ride our pushies around our old school (hillcrest Primary in Devonport) and masked lapwings would nest there. We would often get swooped in the summer months.
@@dash8brj
Yep! I’m in the South near Hobart and we currently have them nesting in our front lawn, the kids are terrified but we use to challenge them to duels as kids all the time 😂
Sure, when you stop marrying your cousins.
Shhhhh, don't let them know you exist, they'll take over and ruin the place.
Thanks for the video. Masked Lapwings frequent South Australia as well, as far west as Ceduna but not on the Nullarbor Plain. Ours lay eggs and nest in winter. I don’t think you mentioned that they mate for life.
There was a pair of masked lapwings in my primary school, the kids would scare them, but they never left the school the whole time I was there. They had a home and stayed there. And if you didn’t chase them they were some of the friendliest birds I have seen.
Used to have a pair that decided 6 feet from the front door to my house was a great nesting location…
Couldn’t go outside without the bastards going spastic.
If you have ever worked in greenkeeping or public park maintenance I kid you not. I have seen a 4 ton slashing mower have to cut a tiny diamond around these guys. Once they set up shop they will not move. Perfectly cut fields with a tiny grass island out there with a bird sitting in it. Their defiance is the source of my admiration for them lol
Likewise. 😊👍
We’ve got a pair nesting across the road in the neighbours front yard at the moment, I always give them plenty of space as I’m aware they are only protecting their nest. My biggest concern is that they always walk out on the road and they risk being hit by a car.
We have a family of ... plovers.. that nest on our block and have never had any problems. Occasionally the young will feed next to the one way track but we try to drive very slowly. Like most young they aren't too bright and will try and get away by running in front of the car, but eventually they figure it out and run off the track.
We had plovers in our street (I mean masked lapwings)… they had four babies, Dad died, then three of the babies died. That Mum was so devoted to that little baby. It was awesome to see that little one grow up… they shouted at us at first but after a while they didn’t care that we passed them every day.
I did pass another couple in an area I was walking… these two little feckers swooped immediately. Scared the shit out of me
Plover laid a few eggs on my compost pile a few months back, sad to say the day after the rain the pile began intense exothermic decomp and the eggs became hard boiled. Retrieved them from the steaming pile and cracked them open, completely cooked fed them to a local wombat.
That's one way to cook an egg I guess.
Unlike a lot of people, I like plovers. They seem to be like magpies and crows in that they can recognise you from other humans. I've had them nest next to my house and they would leave me alone, but attack others. Their call really reminds you of Australia. I listened to an album by the Necks (I think it is called Townsville). They inject a plover's call into one of the pieces and it just feels like home.
I'd say a majority of people like plovers if I was to judge solely on the comments section of this video.
Masked lapwings are very common in the North of Western Australia, specifically, the Kimberley
A pair keeps nesting on a pebbly roof in Sydney next to Dads place. Each year the little babies march straight off the 4 story roof to be eaten by cats.
At a pizza shop i used to work at, a masked plover/lapwing decided to nest in the ceiling thru a crack in the roof. You could hear the plover chicks thru the ceiling in the back room. Every time we walked out the back to toss rubbish in the skip, we would get swooped.
I still love these birds
That's interesting to hear. I thought they only nested in open spaces such as fields.
@@M1KEPH0EN1X ironically, it's in a place surrounded with empty grass paddocks and farming land
obssessed with the "do it for her" baby plover sign
They have made it to NZ, and now are commonly seen on any open patch of land, e.g. parks. I've never seen any aggressive behaviour. They will try to lure you away from their nest on the ground.
I saw them in Santiago, too, was almost beheaded by a landing glider when I walked out on the airfield to see them.
Literally never been swooped by any other bird besides these. I'm here wondering why people so scared of hollow bone magpies with these psycho winged beasts of burden flying around kamikaze style
Down at the park with my big retired racing greyhound I saw two spaniels had flushed some plover chicks out of the bushes. They rushed to my dog who was just standing there and literally took shelter under him. The spaniels were too scared to approach and their owner grabbed them and off they went. Then Mum and Dad Plover returned. OMG. My poor dog was literally attacked by them. They pecked him actually drawing blood, I was shocked and we quickly left being chased and pecked. For the next 3 years, yes 3 years, we couldn’t go to the park because the second they saw my dog they would attack him. He had actually saved their chicks but little did they care.
Such ungrateful little shits!
Recently endured a pair chirping up a storm in the yard for a couple days. Was unsure what was motivating the noise. They had been observed nesting in a nearby vacant residential lot. And then I discovered two chick carcasses in my fenced off backyard. I suspect a local cat had a go at them, and all the noise the parents had been making was an attempt to find their chicks. Twas a sad day. 😥
As an Australian, I already knew this information but have to admit to being scared of them when they are nesting in my area. They are actually surprisingly cute even the babies and as long as you don’t interfere or try to harm them, you will be fine. Least they give you warning that they’re about to swoop, unlike magpies who like the silent tactic. I think Australian birds are amazing.
This was very interesting. I live in Australia and of course I have heard their calls I never knew which bird it was. Thank you!
They don't forget a person, a guy i know help a baby a couple of years ago the parents thought he was up to no good, they still swoop him today.
They know his 2 cars as soon as he pulls up they are waiting and ready to swoop him. 2 in town nest the same hole every year.
Dumb concil worker ran over the eggs a few weeks back killed the babies, they only had another couple of days to go before they would have hatched.
Going for an evening walk in Tasmania you walk past dozens They're in people's front yards, nature strip's, roundabouts etc. There are babies wandering about everywhere In the last 8 years l have been swooped ONCE They make a lot of noise here but attack is rare On the mainland l have been attacked multiple times It is a similar story with magpies here I have NEVER been swooped On the mainland it's a different story
But why are they so loud just after midnight. My entire life I've never seen one but always hear them between 12am and 3am
don't mind a hooded plover - these lapwings can get stuffed!
Hay bro good video only thing I would say that was bad was the dings were a bit much and loud other then that good production 👍
Thanks bro! Means alot to me! I'm always open to suggestions on improving.
The first time I ever saw a masked lapwing was as I reached the village and saw a whole family of them trying to cross the road. Naturally I leapt out of the car and held up the traffic so the parents could finally guide their tiny chicks to safety. No I didn’t. I grabbed my phone and got the most fantastic video of a pair of lapwings trying to cross the road with their stunningly cute little chicks. Some other motorist pulled up and did the Stop car and let this little family cross the road thing.
These things were a menace here in Tassie when I was a kid walking to school. Had to cross a couple of sports ovals and they'd always be nesting there. They're even in the gravel yard at work
They also like to hang around in our street and caw loudly
Imagine being a bird and nesting on the ground because you failed to evolve.
I had the great pleasure of watching 4 baby plovers grow to maturity in the park across the road from my house. Their parents did a great job getting them all to adulthood.
I will always remember that sharp beak heading for my face and, behind them, two heartless steely eyes with murder on the agenda. I swiped my bag at it and, for months afterwards, I could not visit one side of the dog park without a battle. I love many birds that people complain about - magpies, cockatoos, ibises, sparrows, crows, brush turkeys and noisy miners. Even pests like Indian mynas are cool little animals. But plovers/lapwings are psychos.
i find plovers fly at you to spook you then they chicken out and don't even hit you
plovers are a nightmare. theyre worse than magpies
The guy next door killed 2 Plovers after he got dived bombed, he got charged by the Police and a $5,000 fine "didn't pay it and ended up doing time"
I found the chicks "looked like a 3 inch tall emus" looked after them till it was time for them to fly away.
That guy sounds like a completely selfish asshole. How much jail time did he do?
I'm a plover lover. Babies are so cute and must be so hard to raise all done at ground level.
I agree. And they are devoted parents.
My favourite bird for their absolute dedication as well as being able to recognise who they are familiar with and know is not a threat. They'll let you walk right past them or their chick(s) without reacting. They also take on the role of care and guardian of any injured or defenceless young bird of any type that is in their area. Also the most reliable night time alarm to let you know someone or something is around or behind the fence at night.
I’ve seen plovers attacking cars coz they were trying cross a roundabout with their 3 kids, this is a level of parenting that should be taught in schools
My local ̶p̶l̶o̶v̶e̶r̶s̶ masked lapwing don't swoop me. This may be because I say hello to them when I walk past their nesting area. The most I've gotten is a warning call from the ground.
Great video, but we do have true Plovers in South Western Victoria and South Australia called Hooded Plovers. They are smaller than a Lapwing, but similar looking and they nest on beaches. They are actually an endangered species.
That's so cool. I'd be interested to see pictures of them.
I have a family in my street, they started out aggressive but chilled out when they realised we were going to hurt’em…
you mean weren't, right?
Recently I encountered an angry plover at night.
I was just walking home at night and it came into the middle of the street, charging towards me.
I have to admit it was scary as it seemed intent on attacking me.
I thought it might peck me to death!
My first thought was to turn around and go the long way,
But then I hatched a plan.
I would act as the biggest bird ever and give it a fright.
So I started flapping my arms like wings and squawking 😂
I kept walking towards it and it retreated to the side of the road.
If it happens again, I won't hesitate to use the same strategy. 😊
We had plovers in our back paddock every year as a kid.... and they swooped all the time. Only once did I see one actually strike a predator (unlike magpies which are more than happy to make physical contact) when a feral cat came too close to the nest. It struck the distracted cat right in the back of the head. Turns out the spurs aren't just for show.
I am very attached to a plover who has only one leg. When his/her only foot had netting wrapped around it, a bird rescuer and myself netted the bird and freed its foot. This bird recognises me and we have a bond now. The bird never strays far from my home…it’s a beautiful resilient little creature….🫶
Absolute mongrel birds. This year I have relieved the planet of several of these menaces.
I was born and raised in Western Australia. I am travelling interstate on my own for the first time ever, spending some time in QLD. Imagine my shock and confusion when this strange creature refused to move for my car - and when I tried to cautiously drive around the bird, it begins to screech and hiss with its wings raised. I thought perhaps this one individual bird had some kind of issue, like bird rabies. Alas, the same thing happened to me with a different bird the very next day. Then, this video appears in my recommendations...
Damn algorithm!
Thanks for injecting some well needed humor into the Aussie culture. We have become so uptight. Love these birds. I have seen them go higher than the Magpies, and the Ravens to chase off Wedge Tailed Eagles. Good lungs on them. And superb flying skills.
Ok, I literally had flashbacks when I heard their damn bird call- like I have such deep seeded memories of this damn bird despite being on good terms with them (was the weird kid that would collect the soccerball next to their nest).
We used to get swooped by them at school on purpose to relieve the boredom at lunchtime
I had 2 nesting in a field next to my house. They never bothered me when I sat at the fence.
Here on the Gold Coast, they seem to hang around roundabouts
Many, many masked lapwings in Tasmania too. E.g. will see them anywhere around the Hobart area, any time of year.
Particularly aggressive when defending their eggs, and will not only swoop but make physical contact. Not great if they set up in your yard. Have never seen them swoop once the chicks are hatched, but they just continue the aggressive posturing as you describe. They can scare off local magpies, who don't seem as assertive as their mainland counterparts.
Despite all that, I still appreciate them, even though their calls are one of the most unattractive of any bird.
i had a bunch of plovers decide it was a great idea to nest right next to the road i walked on getting home from school. like literally right next to it. one time they chased me, and i ran. i could hear the bird was close really close and could even hear its wings, but i "outran" it (so it was just bluffing but i thought i did). that terrified me. after that when i heard them i would even find hiding places just to avoid alerting them.
another time they had the idea to nest (or just patrol it) on someones roof at the bottom of my driveway. that terrified me. i would use my neighbours driveway and cut across into my property via their section of trees, just to try to avoid alerting the plovers of my location.
thankfully, im Tasmanian, and the magpies here are nice. i didn't have to worry about magpies, only plovers.
We had some who hatched on the roof of our garage. The silly parents took them for a swim in the pool and the poor babies couldn’t get out. I had to go down and rescue them and boy the parents were not happy
they nested on my lawn. developed a fond afinity toward them, a mutual respect. wouldn't swoop when i brought the bins out, though couldnt say the same for the junk mail guy. three eggs, three hatchlings. affectionately named: Donald Plover, H.P.lovercraft and Live Laugh Plove
Love them names! It's amazing how much people can bond with animals just by being around them!
Worked on a golf course construction project which had a bunch of plovers and magpies.
The magpies were kings and chased every type of bird away from their nesting area, including a hawk...and a drone.
Another Tasmanian here. Yes we have them all over the place ,front lawns ,nature strips and park land. They don't do any harm, they sound nice and cheery and are fascinating to watch. The chicks look like miniature emus and are delightful.
I don't know where the attack with spurs stories comes from.
By the way we might have lapwings in Ulverstone but we don't have magpies.
Nice and cheery? They sound like a malfunctioning Beam scooter flying around at midnight off its head for some random reason lol
That's hilarious. Totally agree.@@RennieAsh
This is a great video! I actually watched it to the end. A funny story….. My granddaughter visited relatives in Seattle, and went to the zoo. Being an Aussie, she visited the Australian section, and was gobsmacked that there were only two birds there: one kookaburra, and one plover!!! 😂
Sad! They should have Lyre Birds, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos & Corellas! We have so many beautiful birds in Australia. Cruel not to keep a pair or another for company 😭
@@lindadunstall1790 - Absolutely!
Update: Tasmania is also part of Australia and has Plovers.