With its over-protective parenting and eerie late night calls, keep a lookout for this swooping buddy during the autumn months. 

CEO of the foundation for National Parks and Wildlife Susanna Bradshaw said the plover wasn’t afraid to chase away animals and people it sees as a threat to its young. 

“This means many residents have learnt to tread carefully when walking through the lapwing’s favourite nesting spots like ovals and grassy parks,” Ms Bradshaw said. 

“While these birds make the most of a warm, wet autumn, you can expect them to start nesting and increasing their defensive behaviour. 

‘‘There will be more swooping at park visitors and making a racket if you get too close to their nest or babies. 

“But you’ll be pleased to know that they rarely make contact with you - it’s all just a part of their performance. 

“There are several things you can do to live more peacefully with Masked Lapwing buddies. 

‘‘Don’t forget that our towns are their homes too.”

Some tips for living with plovers include: 

•Vary your walking route to avoid the Lapwing nests for the next few weeks. Lapwings only swoop before they lay their eggs and after their chicks have grown enough. The rest of the time, they are quite shy.

•Don’t run away in a panic as this could encourage them to chase you.

•Watch where you put your feet so you don’t step on any eggs among the grass, and check for nests before you mow the lawn.

•Keep cats indoors as much as possible and train your dog to keep a safe distance from the birds and their nests. 

Ms Bradshaw said it was important not to forget all the good things about Masked Lapwings.

“These birds will remove all sorts of insects from your lawn, giving some protection against lawn pests like army grubs, mole crickets and lawn beetles.” 

“Lapwings will not nest if you keep your lawn long or create garden beds and plant trees instead of big expanses of lawn. 

‘‘Whatever you do, don’t remove their eggs. It’s illegal and ineffective as the Lapwings will simply re-nest and re-lay.”