I sat outside in the sunshine this morning and enjoyed the
peace and quiet until three plovers flew over.
What a raucous bird they are! So
much loud squawking and racketing – they must be one of my least favourite
birds.
They returned soon after, chasing a hawk, and still
screeching. Years ago, on the farm, they
used to chase our Pied Stilts until finally there were none left living in our
swamp.
 |
| A Pied Stilt on the beach |
The plover, technically the spur-winged plover or masked
lapwing (Vanellus miles) is a native
of Australia and arrived in New Zealand under its own power, which meant it
became classified as a native bird and in 1946 became fully protected by law.
This protection was removed in 2010 after the bird became widespread
throughout every region, and officials received multiple complaints about crop
damage and aggressive behaviour towards other native species.
 |
| A group of Plovers congregating on open pasture |
The last few days we have been inundated with pantry moths
which appear to be entering the house from outside each evening (through the
cat door!). Last night we found grubs in
an open packet of muesli, which was then disposed of in the kitchen waste
bin.
About an hour later there was a shriek from grand-daughter
when she discovered little white grubs crawling all over the kitchen
floor! I am still laughing!!
Horrid things, but we soon cleaned them up. I have checked our other supplies today and
found a few more and disposed of them. Hopefully there isn’t any more lurking away
somewhere in a dark forgotten corner of the kitchen.
 |
| Gathering pine cones is a favourite autumn activity, but will remain a memory this year |
Life is full of little disasters – we just need to learn to
laugh at them J
Margaret.
I think it's good certain birds are protected species. We have a few the same here like godwits, fairy terns and oyster catchers, I just wish people were a bit more careful around their nesting areas.
ReplyDeleteOh My! Pantry moths and little white grubs crawling all over the kitchen floor sounds pretty revolting but you kept your sense of humor!!
ReplyDeleteThe Pied Stilt must be one of the most elegant birds. Too bad about the noisy Plovers though.
Oh, my you are invaded over there! Ewww, moths, grubs, ewwww. Last year we had an invasion of flies. Some 50+ flies!
ReplyDeleteI even found some in the fridge!!!
And no, we don´t leave the door open long! Open, grab, close.
I admit.... I have a hard time laughing about that! Ewww.
Goose as in goosebumps come to mind! ;-)
Hope you got rid of the intruders, and glad you can laugh :-) Ixx
Hello, I love both the cute Stilt and the Lapwings. I wish I could see the Lapwing here, they are interesting birds. We do see Black-necked Stilt here in the summer. Your pine cone collection is pretty. Take care and stay well. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteCat doors can be an issue for sure. I have friends who came down one morning to find two Virginia Opossums wandering around, having wrecked part of the kitchen and torn the stuffing from the cushions. The cat, fearful I suppose, had sprayed everywhere with urine. Ironically, in a lifetime spent with wildlife, I have never had the slightest inclination to have house pets. Perhaps a smart decision!
ReplyDeleteYes, I have seen the damage opossums can do inside a house - it can be horrific. For the last ten years of my married life we had no pets at all and I found it quite liberating - we just enjoyed other people's pets, we had no hassles, and it cost less! Now I live in a household with three cats and two rats, with a dog on the horizon, and can no longer have a bird bath or feeder (for obvious reasons). Life is a funny old thing sometimes.
DeleteThat Stilt bird looks so beautiful and very dainty, beautiful capture Margaret. As for the plovers, seeing the photo you shared makes me think how cute they are, looking like a fusion between chickens, penguins and puffins. But reading your account about them makes me double think of the "cuteness" because I hate noisy things and you telling about aggressive behavior makes me a bit shaken. Oh and those moths, I'm quite a big guy but I am have to be honest, I am so scared of flying insects! hahaha Stay Safe Margaret!
ReplyDeleteStevenson
That stilt is a beauty. Our plovers are smaller I believe.
ReplyDeleteThe pantry moths and the white grubs definitely didn't add to your enjoyment of being in isolation.... yuk! I love to go outside and see the birds, but I can't go quite as far now as I used to because of this virus thing. I dread to think how long it is all going to last.
ReplyDeleteLovely photo of the stilt
ReplyDeleteI am afraid I would be shrieking with your granddaughter. At least I would shudder! I used to work at an apple orchard, a very small one, and we also had strawberries. One year we were planting new ones. We used a machine but always had to go over the rows afterwards because one here and there would no be in the ground good enough. I stayed behind to go over the rows, and there were these little white worms/grubs about 3 cm long crawling everywhere. And not just in a small area, but everywhere you looked! My skin crawls just thinking about them. LOL
ReplyDeleteYour description made me shudder too!
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