159/366 Mama Lapwing

This bird has chosen to nest in the middle of an open block of vacant land. I didn't want to get too close.

The masked lapwing is a large, common and conspicuous bird native to Australia

Plovers usually lay their eggs after local rains. They lay up to four eggs on the ground in a small depression in open areas so they can see their predators.

The Masked Lapwing is sometimes referred to as the Spur-winged Plover because each of its wings is armed with a yellow spur at the ‘elbow’ (or carpal joint)... Lapwings use these spurs when diving at potential predators or intruders during breeding season, while chicks are running around or when the eggs are just about to hatch. While these attacks are quite unnerving, the birds seldom actually strike their ‘victims’, preferring a close approach to scare them away.