by Carla Caruso
When we first saw a photo of plovers nesting by the River Torrens / Karrawirra Parri (below), we mistook them for the ocean-dwelling birds – and were suprised they were by the river.
Our mistake! Apparently we’re not alone, though, in confusing spur-winged plovers, which are common and known to swoop, with the rare and threatened hooded plovers.
A spur-winged plover and its chick nesting under the Adelaide University footbridge in Park 12. Photo: Bush Bling.
Hooded plovers nest on beaches from August to March and are in decline because so few of their eggs and chicks survive. Their main threats are people, dogs, horses, and vehicles.
Alternatively, spur-winged plovers (or masked lapwings) are common and abundant.
The hooded variety of the birds are different plovers altogether. Carla Caruso is behind this pic of warning signage at Brighton Beach.
Park-goer Christopher Hunter behind the accessories label, Bush Bling, recently shared a snap of plovers on Instagram, writing: “The family are living in a massive island of sticks and ‘stuff’, which has formed under the [Adelaide University footbridge in Red Gum Park / Karrawirra, Park 12]. It’s probably a pretty safe spot for them.”
In between observing spur-winged plovers, Bush Bling’s Christopher Hunter — also a fauna rescuer — recently helped remove a green mesh plastic bag from the leg of a seagull by the River Torrens / Karrawirra Parri.
To learn more about the city plovers, we asked Jason van Weenen, the urban biodiversity team leader at Green Adelaide, to share some of his knowledge. This is what he had to say:
“Masked lapwings are incredibly adaptable birds.
“It is this flexibility which means that they often nest in open areas, like parks, median strips, ovals or sporting grounds, or even on large roof spaces in industrial areas.
“It may be that they’ve chosen these popular places deliberately, as a deterrent to predators. The birds tend to seek open spaces with high visibility so that if there is a predator risk, they can see it coming.
“While these sites can have their challenges, the birds are generally pretty successful in laying and incubating their eggs in these open locations.
“During breeding season, from around August to November, it is best to avoid known nesting areas if you can or walk in a group if you do need to pass the site.
“The masked lapwing is generally just trying to defend its eggs, and so even if you don’t know that it is nesting there, the bird will generally let out a call, and they can be quite vocal to warn you not to get too close.
“Doing things like keeping eye contact with the bird or even using an umbrella or large hat to put a barrier between you and the bird can also help.”
Onto peregrine falcons…
Green Adelaide’s Jason van Weenen.
While we had Jason’s ear, we thought we’d also ask him about another bigger, more infamous bird: the peregrine falcon.
Interstate, there are popular sites and livestreams dedicated to observing the birds of prey, nesting on the ledges of tall buildings … like this website in Melbourne, this page in Perth and this one at NSW’s Charles Sturt University. (Closer to home, there’s a live-cam for osprey, or sea hawks, in Port Lincoln.)
So, what about in our city? Do we have any such falcons — back from near extinction — here?
According to Jason, we do. Peregrines are known to nest at the ABC building in Collinswood, as well as in the CBD – hunting the tree martins in Leigh Street.
As Jason said:
“Peregrine falcons make use of high vantage points, which are sheltered and protected from the weather for nesting.
“Our city buildings can provide just this, and so it is not unusual that we have peregrine falcons nesting and foraging in our urban environments.
“People may not even be aware that a peregrine is present, as from a significant distance away, they can look like pigeons.
“Fortunately, peregrine falcons do tend to stay pretty well out of the way of people because of the high locations that they nest and forage in.
“But if you do happen to come across an injured bird that has come to the ground, which sometimes occurs for juvenile birds, it is best to leave actually approaching or handling the bird to those who have experience with birds of prey, such as fauna rescue or wildlife organisations.
“Many people love peregrine falcons – they are known for being the fastest animal on the planet, so they are pretty incredible birds, and they’re also an international species, so they are a well-known bird.”
A peregrine falcon perched on the ABC Adelaide building in Collinswood. Photo: Che Chorley/ABC News.
Main seagull photo by Fran Mussared.
