Often, when i visit my local shops I walk past the Bob Graham Reserve, which forms the only grass part of the playground for Dulwich Hill High School. The years before, I had seen a pair of Masked Lapwings nesting in this grassy area. And they were now nesting there again. When I walked past on 24 August, I spotted a taped off area and in the middle was a Masked Lapwing sitting on the ground. I assumed it was sitting on eggs.
I only had my phone to take a photo.
Masked Lapwings don’t bother with making a nest. They just plonk eggs down in the grass somewhere and then defend that area very aggressively. The spurs they have on their wings are a good deterrent.
I thought it was nice that the School had noticed the nesting birds and had partitioned off the area. They only have a very small area of playground compared to most other schools.
Update 26 September 2026
Two chicks had hatched and were doing well.
Update 10 October 2026
The two chicks have been getting much bigger.
It is nice to see Nature doing well in a busy urban area, and in particular in a school playground where students are running around and kicking balls. And the school community is respecting the birds.