I’m a sucker for a hero. It makes my heart softer when I see an heroic act, even if it’s something small. In a car park near the marina we have a pair of nesting Masked Lapwings (don’t you love that name – it sounds like a bushranger and way more romantic than a Plover!) It’s a daily reminder that even the birds have heroes.
Mum sits on the nest keeping a close eye out for intruders.
Her hero stalks around the car park looking for all the world like a caped crusader.
When Capt G and Zeus enter the Conflict Zone he launches into action.
And if the sidewinder approach doesn’t work then this feisty little bird will tackle the problem head on.
I’m in NaNoWriMo writing mode today and I need look no further for inspiration for my hero and heroine’s motivation. Defending our families is such a basic instinct and I’m keen to see how far my characters will go in pursuit of that defence – especially when it puts them in conflict with the one they love the most!
What’s your favourite heroic moment?
Kerrie, the front yard must be majorly inconvenient… Lucky you love your wild life. I despair of this pair successfully breeding but if they do I’ll be photographing their chicks 🙂
Jenn, they must make life difficult when you have guests staying as well! But I do have to admire their tenacity 🙂
We have them at our place too – usually nesting in our front yard. Which can be kind of annoying trying to get to the letterbox, but I’ve just learnt to take the long way round 🙂
Oh Philippa that is hilarious! Helene, that inflight shot is amazing. We have them every year in our paddock next door but this year they were swooping us on our walks. Such brave little birds. I just wish they would learn to live in a high rise. Much safer.
Love it, Phillipa, I have a very clear image of Nino rushing outside at your house! I think his feat to keep the washing machine functioning is possible his most necessary achievement although the woolly mammoth is right up there too 🙂
My husband Nino rises to hero status frequently. Once I was off to pick up child from school and he was having a snooze. I saw a snake on the driveway, right near the car, so I called him. He wakes up, springs into action and runs out to the driveway wearing his jocks, a pair of ugg boots and carrying an old fashioned shoe horn and still half asleep. I suspect the snake had a laugh. I suggested he might want to put a more heroic set of clothes on before he did his manly deed. Which he did.
He’s despatched snakes from inside and outside, hauled dead possums from water tanks, killed off scorpions in sinks, kept the washing machine going for years with just a single screwdriver, stopped the house falling down through tenacious sheer willpower, goes off to work each day and returns with the woolly mammoth and falls exhausted into bed every night. My hero.
They are fantastic dramatic actors, Anna! They are also referred to as Plovers or Spurwinged Plovers – I just think Masked Lapwings make them sound more heroic and less cranky 🙂
I used to be very wary of them as a child, but now I see their point of view so I’m much more tolerant and protective.
Good to hear you’re almost at the end of your book – yay!! Another one to read soon. My edits for Safe Harbour will arrive on the 11th November so I’m making hay while I can!
Helene, what great pictures! Have you seen them do the broken wing act to divert predators from the nest? Brilliant! Actually I’ve always called them plovers (we’ve got them nesting near the lake). Do you know if that’s the same bird?
Good luck with Nano. I’m nearly at the end of this book!!!!