Sad but sometimes necessary to save bird eggs

In the maze of WILVOS 24 hour 5441 6200 Hotline calls, not all is doom and gloom. Some animals
may just need short-term care, and the majority of others, such as orphaned young, have positive
outcomes. We feel every loss, and ask ourselves what we could have done better.
Occasionally there are the easy-care ‘’patients’’ – those eggs that just need incubating. Definitely
low maintenance during the incubation stage! The eggs of native birds can only be removed by
someone licenced to do so. Over a month ago a local school had a busy time booked for their sports
oval. Of course that manicured grass attracted the masked lapwings, usually known as plovers. They
looked on it as a lovely spot to lay their eggs.
Fortunately, workers from Bio-diverse Environmental were on the scene and the eggs were removed
before they were trampled. They brought them out and the three eggs were settled into the incubator.
After a month it was time to get nervous! Please hatch! One night two of the eggs had little white
spots where holes had been pecked out, and a familiar cheeping sound was heard. Next morning,
thirty days after their arrival, two little wet chicks greeted me. Plover chicks are adorable. Their big
strong legs soon have these tiny chicks stumbling around. They become self feeders very quickly,
pecking at everything. Sunshine and exercise are necessary, as their rehabilitation needs to mimic
their habits in the wild. Running, sleeping, feeding is a continuous cycle.
That third egg was a worry! Forty-eight hours later it hatched, in the early hours of the morning as
usual. It was soon up and about, preparing to meet his siblings.
Definitely one of my favourite native animal species!
Donna Brennan Wildlife Volunteers Assoc Inc (WILVOS) PO Box 4805 Sunshine Coast Mail
Centre Q 4560 PH 5441 6200 www.wilvos.org.au