Easy to get the blacksmiths into panic mode, just go near their nest.
I know where they nest and I got them with their babies last spring season, and of course I posted it at the time. The one seemed convinced that it could dive my head off, but thankfully you can see that I am still alive. Lol
Thankfully this time I only made as if I was going to their nest, and they launched into the sky with their loud alarm calls for me not to get any closer.
Let's see what Wikipedia has to say about the blacksmiths.
The blacksmith lapwing or blacksmith plover (Vanellus armatus) is a lapwing species that occurs commonly from Kenya through central Tanzania to southern and southwestern Africa. The vernacular name derives from the repeated metallic 'tink, tink, tink' alarm call, which suggests a blacksmith's hammer striking an anvil.
I cannot distinguish between their sexes, as the male and the female look identical,
So, I slowly made my way forward for them to think that I was going to their nest, and they both flew up screeching in the air above me.
Blacksmith lapwings expanded their range in the 20th century into areas where dams were built and where intensive farming was practiced. Consequently, they are now numerous and established in the Western Cape region of South Africa, where they were absent until the 1930s. In this region they have also entered estuarine mud flats in winter where they aggressively displace other waders. Although they are partially migratory, they do not seem to engage in large-scale, regular migrations.
I walked back away from the nest, and they soared even higher in order to keep an eye on me.
They are feisty little critters, and they will attack anything that goes close to their nest even dogs and cats, and their loud alarm calls will scare anything away. Their method of attack is by dive bombing and they have sharp spurs. Wikipedia agrees with me as it also mentions the spurs.
Blacksmith lapwings are very boldly patterned in black, grey and white, possibly warning colours to predators. It is one of five lapwing species (two African, one Asian and two Neotropical) that share the characteristics of red eyes and a bold pied plumage, with a carpal (wing) spur adorning the wrist joint; a sharp black protrusion which they use to aggressively defend their young from potential threats, through persistent aerial dives typically targeting the head.
Soon there will be babies, and I hope to get the little black and white bundles on my zoom again. The parents are extra defensive when there are babies around, and I will not go near the nest, as it might upset them so much that they might abandon the nest. Fortunately, I have a very strong zoom that can get them at any distance. I just hope that with the funny weather that we are having, the babies will survive, until they can fly away, as they don't remain in the same area of their birth.
Such is Blacksmith life.
I hope that you enjoyed the pictures and the comprehensive story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
Until next time, cheers!
