Faf Swoop Plessis holds the middle as Tasmanian cricket plays on
A masked lapwing nicknamed Faf Swoop Plessis is sitting on eggs in the middle of Windsor Park oval in Riverside, just outside Launceston in northern Tasmania, while weekend cricket plays on around it. Locals coined the name as a play on former South African captain Faf du Plessis. Masked lapwings are widely known across Australia as plovers, and this bird is warming its nest as matches continue, according to The Guardian.
Ground staff have mowed around the nesting site. Players are steering clear of it. Early in the season, Great Northern Raiders player Caleb Brewer was stationed directly beside the nest during a match. The following weekend, Riverside first-grade opener Josh Partridge was tasked with fielding near the plover.
There is good reason for care. Masked lapwings are protected under Tasmanian state law, with fines of up to $21,300 for disturbing nests.
The bird has already shaped the local season. Its presence affected the start of two first-grade competitions in Tasmania, the top tier of local club cricket, as reported by The Examiner. Clubs have opted to play around the nest rather than move it.
Lapwing eggs hatch after 28 to 30 days of shared incubation by both parents. If a clutch is infertile, incubation can continue for several weeks. Lapwings will often nest again at the same site if their eggs are destroyed.
During the breeding season, masked lapwings choose sites that are quiet and predictable, with short grass and 360-degree views of potential predators, according to the Tasmanian Government. The masked lapwing is notorious for defending its nesting site, particularly after chicks have hatched. Adults dive on intruders to defend the site, according to the Australian Museum.
What makes this stand out is the calm. Plovers have a feisty reputation for defensive behaviour on Australian sports fields. This one has kept sitting while batters, bowlers and fielders work around it.
For fans, this means a strange new fielding problem. A small bird holds the middle. Twenty-two players must leave it alone. The oval stays cut, the game stays on, and the nest stays put.
