On the last day of winter, being in lockdown, I had settled in to watch the Paralympics on T.V. Being a lovely day, Bernadette was doing outside chores in the sunshine.
Next thing I knew, she entered the lounge room, trembling and in a state of frenzy. "Didn't you hear me? Didn't you hear me?". I blissfully hadn't heard a thing but the television. After some time she calmed down and told me the story. It goes like this:- In the back yard she had discovered a plover chick, stranded. She tried to console it and was attached, not once, but many times, but the mother plover which was diving viciously at her. Somehow she escaped and came inside.
After hearing the story, we both went out to the laundry back window and gazed out into the yard.
We saw the chick, not moving, just lying on the lawn in the sun. There was the occasional magpie flying over the yard, and then, out of nowhere, a squawking plover descended and hurriedly ran to the chick, nextling it lovingly, still squawking. Enchanted, we stood there for some time by the window, wondering what what would happen next. Eventually, another squawking plover flew over the yard, came back and landed, out of vision of the mother, and tentatively strutted sround. Both birds were making a lot of noise but no progress in getting together.
Then from the T.V. in the lounge room came the sound of a band playing the Australian national anthem. Another Australian Gold Medal!
Distracted, we left the window and went to see who had won the medal. After listening to the anthem and the subsequent interview with the victor, we returned to our viewing position.
Nothing to be seen! Both plovers and the chick were gone! How did this happen? However had the adult birds managed to move their chick? We will never know!
IF ONLY WE HADN'T BEEN DISTRACTED!!
Since that day I have constantly wondered! I am intrigued by nature, by the bird world, by the animal world, by humanity, by the universe! I feel assured of a deity! Indeed, I have experienced an epiphany!
Ray O'Shannessy
8th September 2021
Next thing I knew, she entered the lounge room, trembling and in a state of frenzy. "Didn't you hear me? Didn't you hear me?". I blissfully hadn't heard a thing but the television. After some time she calmed down and told me the story. It goes like this:- In the back yard she had discovered a plover chick, stranded. She tried to console it and was attached, not once, but many times, but the mother plover which was diving viciously at her. Somehow she escaped and came inside.
After hearing the story, we both went out to the laundry back window and gazed out into the yard.
We saw the chick, not moving, just lying on the lawn in the sun. There was the occasional magpie flying over the yard, and then, out of nowhere, a squawking plover descended and hurriedly ran to the chick, nextling it lovingly, still squawking. Enchanted, we stood there for some time by the window, wondering what what would happen next. Eventually, another squawking plover flew over the yard, came back and landed, out of vision of the mother, and tentatively strutted sround. Both birds were making a lot of noise but no progress in getting together.
Then from the T.V. in the lounge room came the sound of a band playing the Australian national anthem. Another Australian Gold Medal!
Distracted, we left the window and went to see who had won the medal. After listening to the anthem and the subsequent interview with the victor, we returned to our viewing position.
Nothing to be seen! Both plovers and the chick were gone! How did this happen? However had the adult birds managed to move their chick? We will never know!
IF ONLY WE HADN'T BEEN DISTRACTED!!
Since that day I have constantly wondered! I am intrigued by nature, by the bird world, by the animal world, by humanity, by the universe! I feel assured of a deity! Indeed, I have experienced an epiphany!
Ray O'Shannessy
8th September 2021
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