# General > Member's Lounge > Photography >  Nesting of MALAYSIAN PLOVERS - Charadrius peronii

## harlequin

MALAYSIAN PLOVERS - Charadrius peronii 

Plovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species. 

Plovers are found throughout the world, and are characterised by relatively short bills. They hunt by sight, rather than by feel as longer-billed waders like snipe do. 

Food is insects, worms or other invetebrates, depending on habitat, which are obtained by a run-and-pause technique, rather than the steady probing of some other wader groups.

Waders do not weave their nests from leaves like forest birds. They simply dig a shallow hole in the sand and lay their eggs there. 

So far this is the second year for me to spot and record the nesting of this very beautiful small bird with a status that is near threatened with global extinction. This second sighting is a positive sign that their numbers are increasing. 

The Malaysian Plover is found on sandy beaches, usually in remote area with little human activity. They feed close to water's edge, usually in pair. The nest is just a simple depression on the ground, which is usualy further up from the beach area. The 2 nests from both 2005 & 2006 were found in the oddest area, by a dirt road. The nest is usually very well hidden, away from views of predators. By using a vehicle as a hide and with lots of patience, I was able to spot (with lots of luck) the pair roosting and feeding near their nest. Spotting a nest with eggs/chicks among the grass and sand can really put a strain on your eyed. 

The Male - has a thin black band across its neck



The Female - band is rufous brown

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## harlequin

The nest with eggs


Female in the nest

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## harlequin

First chick to hatch

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## harlequin

Under the protective care of the female , you can see the 2nd egg too

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## harlequin

2 days old chick - still learning how to walk properly,sometimes toppling down while in a hurry trying to get to the female






Finally able to stand tall by itself and proud of himself

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## harlequin

Camouflage skills begin at a young age - to avoid being eaten. The following are very close up shots to show how well the patterns on the chick 

can blend into the natural environment. 









There is still one current nesting going on within the area. Am I worried for the nesting ? Yes and no. 

Firstly the Malaysian Plovers nest on sandy grounds, very close to vehicle tracks within the area. There are lots of wild dogs and raptors around. Human activities are plently with the ramp up of construction with land reclamation. For my first sighting, I once almost stepped onto a nest with 2 eggs. From then on, I walked with utmost care. 

But the Malaysian Plovers have very good camouflage and distraction skills. The eggs and newborn chicks can really blend very well into the environment. 

Took me quite a while to be able to spot them each time I go back to the area.

The parents (especially the female) will always move around the nesting area, bringing the chick(s) along, by calling out for them. When the parents sense any danger/threat, they will show the broken wing routine to distract the predator away, and the chick will receive a signal to lie low and stay very still without moving all,until the parents call out for them when there is no more danger. I have spend many times looking for them once I lost focus when they moved into the grass area. 
One of the parents will also fly around and away from the nesting/chick so as to move the predator away as far as possible. 

Little else is known about this species and it is not numerous anywhere as fast as data are concerned. 

I am just more than happy to be able to observe and photgraphy this species, who has decided to make Singapore its home, in a very unlikely resident area. I hope you have enjoyed reading this article, despite some photographs are not taken in the best of lighting conditions.

Cheers !

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## Simon

welcome harlequin, feel free to post here more often when no where else allow you that privilege

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## harlequin

> welcome harlequin, feel free to post here more often when no where else allow you that privilege


Thanks man !

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## hwchoy

are you the same guy from CS?

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## valice

> 2 days old chick - still learning how to walk properly,sometimes toppling down while in a hurry trying to get to the female


This is so cute!  :Knockout:  
And I love the DOF of the 1st picture... The bokeh is so.... bokeh!  :Surprised:

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## harlequin

> are you the same guy from CS?


Yep, same nick

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## harlequin

> This is so cute!  
> And I love the DOF of the 1st picture... The bokeh is so.... bokeh!


Thanks ! All pictures taken with a 600mm F4 + 1.4TC. They are too small lah.

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## ranmasatome

Hahahha.. i really enjoyed this series of pics and the write up.. thanks harlequin!! :Smile:

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## Quixotic

Great captures. They are listed as near threatened in the IUCN Red List.

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## harlequin

> Hahahha.. i really enjoyed this series of pics and the write up.. thanks harlequin!!


Thanks for the compliments ! Glad you enjoyed the series. Cheers !

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## harlequin

> Great captures. They are listed as near threatened in the IUCN Red List.


Thanks for the compliments. Good one on the link too.

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## hwchoy

> Thanks ! All pictures taken with a 600mm F4 + 1.4TC. They are too small lah.


whoa! damn tua kee. have you joined www.canongraphers.com yet?

actually some of the WB not consistent leh. can use PSCS to set the same WB.

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## celticfish

nicely documented!!!  :Well done:

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## mervin

> whoa! damn tua kee. have you joined www.canongraphers.com yet?



hahahaha !!!

He used *NIKON !*  :Laughing:

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## mervin

fancy meeting you here HARL !

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## hwchoy

see lah, all because no EXIF!  :Sad:

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## mervin

> see lah, all because no EXIF!



wht has that got to do with Nikon or Canon ?
 :Shocked:

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## hwchoy

then I dunno is Nikon mah  :Sad:

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## harlequin

> whoa! damn tua kee. have you joined www.canongraphers.com yet?
> 
> actually some of the WB not consistent leh. can use PSCS to set the same WB.


Nope I am from the Dark Side  :Smile:  I don't mind if the White side forum allows a Dark Sider to post there  :Very Happy: 

Some of the pictures were taken almost after 7pm, thats why you are seeing different White balance. 

I dont use PS CS as i process my shots on Nikon Capture RAW.

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## harlequin

> fancy meeting you here HARL !


Heh heh...Was introduced by Butts group to come here and introduce to the nice folks here what kind of bird life and nestings we have in Singapore. Where else some where out there there are some non-Singaporeans residing in Singapore trying to clamp down a few forums, and removing the ability for us to educate the future generations on the limtied wildlife we have.

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## valice

> see lah, all because no EXIF!


Sorry for an OT question. But how to have EXIF if I save the picture for web in PSCS (to post in gallery)? It will save only the image and discard the EXIF...

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## hwchoy

valice, do a "save as" and select JPEG format. typically you can save at quality level 8-10 depending on the pixel size of the pix. It gives an estimate of the file size at the lower status bar.

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## hwchoy

> Heh heh...Was introduced by Butts group to come here and introduce to the nice folks here what kind of bird life and nestings we have in Singapore. Where else some where out there there are some non-Singaporeans residing in Singapore trying to clamp down a few forums, and removing the ability for us to educate the future generations on the limtied wildlife we have.


what bloody rubbish! tell tell  :Evil:  

mervin, show him the kpt then.

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## mervin

> what bloody rubbish! tell tell  
> 
> mervin, show him the kpt then.



ah ??? simi leh ?

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## ranmasatome

Lets meet leh..lol.. i owe choy a kopi anyway. Maybe can teach me how to shoot birds..but then again.. the lense will make my pocket hole so big i wont have pants on.

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## hwchoy

first you can train up your biceps, carry harlequin's 600mm ƒ/4 over head and run round the Great Hall of the Azmi.

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## hwchoy

> ah ??? simi leh ?


this lah! tell more.




> Where else some where out there there are some non-Singaporeans residing in Singapore trying to clamp down a few forums, and removing the ability for us to educate the future generations on the limtied wildlife we have.

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## mervin

> first you can train up your biceps, carry harlequin's 600mm /4 over head and run round the Great Hall of the Azmi.



that is something i would like to see !
 :Blah:

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## mervin

> this lah! tell more.



this story very sensitive topic to discuss on here.

tell u when we meet for kopi.  :Wink:

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## Simon

very sensitive, but then we are a fish forum :P, if we see a bird going after a fish, guess what we do  :Kiss:

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## mervin

> if we see a bird going after a fish, guess what we do



take a nice pix of it ?  :Laughing:

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## hwchoy

nah, we lastic his backside  :Kiss:

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