Progress comes at a cost for plover family

For the past five years I have had the joy of sharing the grass verges along the length of my street with a pair of Lapwing Plovers and I can now identify them each by their individual markings. They have traditionally nested in a vacant lot at the end of the street where it joins the main road.

After their two chicks have hatched, (always two chicks) they have mostly inhabited a small grassy area at the roads junction, until now. The council have undertaken road works in the area recently, creating new footpaths and gutters which includes a wider access to my road and displaced the family of plovers. It always gave me great joy to watch the tiny dappled chicks grow and the dedication of the parents. However, this year they have been absent from the street and after a search I have been unable to locate the pair.

Progress on community infrastructure is always ongoing and a welcome benefit for the community except for one small very special family who have been displaced, such is progress!

Vyv Alomes, Dodges Ferry