The Plovers In The Paddock Poem by Francis Duggan

In the nearby paddock I hear them their distinct calls ring through the night
Perhaps a dog or cat or fox is passing and they scream at him in the moonlight
With a nest to defend they feel anxious and their eggs not well hidden away
For a hungry fox a tasty morsel as he is out hunting for prey.

The birds known as the spur winged plovers are wary through Winter and Spring
In the nearby paddock I hear them their call to it has an aggressive ring
For their eggs or their young they do worry and their territory they defend
And they scream loudly in the face of danger and no passer by is their friend.

When the plovers in the paddock are calling perhaps there is danger nearby
One hear them call out in the moonlight as above their borders they fly
They won't tolerate an intruder they dive bomb the dog from the sky
And they will remain ever vigilant until their young have learned how to fly.

I hear them call out in the paddock their voices one can never mistake
All through the months of Winter and Spring they always seem so wide awake
They protect the next generation and make sure that their genes will live on
And others will hear the spur winged plovers when to the reaper I am gone.