The spur winged plovers calling in the paddock nearby <br />And somewhere in the deep scrub the hunting red fox cry <br />Perhaps the plovers warn him not to venture too near <br />To their invisible nesting borders the safety of their vulnerable young cause them to lose all fear <br /> <br />Of even bigger nocturnal predators who they attack from the air <br />Their shrill alarm calls if translated might mean beware, beware <br />You fox or feral tabby they will see you on your way <br />Last year on their babies one of your kind one night did prey. <br /> <br />Out in Nature's wild kingdom the hungry have to eat <br />The fox and feral tabby they need their feed of meat <br />When day creatures are resting the night creatures are out <br />In search of rats, mice and sleeping small birds the barn owls and boobooks fly about. <br /> <br />Out there in the nearby paddock under the starry sky <br />Above their breeding territory the spur winged plovers fly <br />For fox or prowling feral cat their young would make a tasty bite <br />So their parents call to warn them in the calmness of the night.<br /><br />Francis Duggan<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/out-there-in-the-nearby-paddock/
