Harmony

Yesterday, when I didn’t have a camera with me, I noticed the cattle behaving strangely. They were bunched up, with their heads lowered and their necks stretched, and all looking in the same direction. Then I noticed the resident plover couple standing tall facing them. The cattle are new to the paddock and perhaps this was the first time they’d seen plovers. They were curious, but also a bit afraid, backing off if the plovers moved. As I watched one of the steers approached the birds and was repulsed by a sudden attack. The plover grew tall, spread it’s wings, no doubt flashing it’s wing spurs, and advanced squawking loudly. The bovine bunch took a quick step back. This happened twice more, with a different steer each time.

Today I was pleased to see that any differences had been worked out and they were all grazing together. The cattle obviously know their place in the pecking order.