The spur winged plovers calling in the paddock nearby
And somewhere in the deep scrub the hunting red fox cry
Perhaps the plovers warn him not to venture too near
To their invisible nesting borders the safety of their vulnerable young cause them to lose all fear

Of even bigger nocturnal predators who they attack from the air
Their shrill alarm calls if translated might mean beware, beware
You fox or feral tabby they will see you on your way
Last year on their babies one of your kind one night did prey.

Out in Nature's wild kingdom the hungry have to eat
The fox and feral tabby they need their feed of meat
When day creatures are resting the night creatures are out
In search of rats, mice and sleeping small birds the barn owls and boobooks fly about.

Out there in the nearby paddock under the starry sky
Above their breeding territory the spur winged plovers fly
For fox or prowling feral cat their young would make a tasty bite
So their parents call to warn them in the calmness of the night.

Francis Duggan

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/out-there-in-the-nearby-paddock/