First Adventure
Masked Lapwing chick makes its first appearance carefully hiding behind one parent. The other parent was ensuring this was a long shot by dangerous swooping, screeching and generally deterring the photographer. This chick was the only one to emerge from the four eggs in the nest. There were no eggs, shell or signs of them remaining which suggests that a predator large enough to carry an egg and ward off the parents was responsible. One survivor is a common outcome of this annual event in my Gold Coast hinterland home garden. A false spring a few weeks ago caused unseasonal breeding by this pair of young adults the subsequent cold weather may have reduced egg survival. Normal spring, if there is such a thing during climate change, is still months away.
First Adventure
Masked Lapwing chick makes its first appearance carefully hiding behind one parent. The other parent was ensuring this was a long shot by dangerous swooping, screeching and generally deterring the photographer. This chick was the only one to emerge from the four eggs in the nest. There were no eggs, shell or signs of them remaining which suggests that a predator large enough to carry an egg and ward off the parents was responsible. One survivor is a common outcome of this annual event in my Gold Coast hinterland home garden. A false spring a few weeks ago caused unseasonal breeding by this pair of young adults the subsequent cold weather may have reduced egg survival. Normal spring, if there is such a thing during climate change, is still months away.