I wrote earlier this year about a pair of Stone Curlews residing in the park. This season they had a bit of a clumsy start to the mating time. To start with they couldn't decide on the best location, and when they did some gherkin pinched the egg. The noise of protestation was deafening, leaving the pair to ponder the site of a better location for the second egg. Just up the garden a bit 2 mornings later. Then a collection of school kids from out of town arrived for a sporting carnival, and took great delight in disturbing the doting pair. Curlews are generally passive, unless someone upsets the domestic bliss. Not when these kids approached. The pair stood upright and as tall as those long, knobbly legs would stretch, with heads held hight and wings stretched as wide as they'd go, with the screeching duet of protest and defence, and headed in the direction of the boys at the speed of grumpy Curlews, with beaks poised for the peck. It took another three attempts at finding a more appropriate nesting site around the park, even competing with an incoming camper trailer, before they settled on site 3 - just up the garden. They lovingly shared nesting and hatching duties for the next 24 days, when 2 fluffy chicks emerged. They are now 5 weeks old, and almost as tall as mum and dad. They also forecast rain. They settle in the dry areas under the playground equipment days before the rain arrives, but they're always right.

Thanks for that Chris. Isn't nature wonderful, I could and do spend hours just watching.

Fabulous Granny!!

Thanks Chris for the update on the Curlew Family.....what happened to the young'un that was still hanging around from last years hatching? After I left Cairns (via Cooktown) I stayed at Mission Beach and there was a pair of curlews there too with two young. The young grew visibly in just the week that I was there. best wishes, Jim

The growth rate is amazing. From about 8-10cms at birth to 30cms in 5 weeks. That takes a lot of grubs. The "outcast" teenager is in the front paddock, and according to Jack the maintenance man, is all forlorn and grumpy, taking every opportunity to growl the curlew growl. She's probably a bit miffed about getting kicked out to make way for the younguns of the new season. The oldies will probably be looking for a new nest site in a few weeks to create series 3 of the 2009-10 wet season, otherwise known as the "Curlew Bonking Season". It's also Torres Strait Pigeon bonking season, mudlarks, honeyeaters, and lots of other species' bonking season. It's all go here. And the rain has started, with the associated humidity, much to Ma's discomfort. She's coping ok though.

I have a nesting pair over by the gum tree in the corner of my yard and they hide their nest and baby well. If you go too close , one will do the broken wing dance to try to get you away from the nest, which is close to the tap for the sprinklers, but as much as possible , I keep away from them. There is also a pair of spur wing pluvers in the next empty block who are very indignant if you go too close. Someone has put a sign up saying don,t disturb the baby birds!we have lots of birds on Magnetic is.

I never knew the Curlews did the old "broken-wing-look-at-me-I'm-hurt-routine" I see a lot of the Plovers do it but not the Curlews. There you go...........The Duck learns something new everyday I like Magnetic island and I've had some great times there. Very Pretty.

I haven't seen it here either. They most certainly spread their wings in a threatening manner to warn any interlopers to stay away from the nest and the young. One bird writer interpreted the wing spreading as a mating dance. Not so. A Vic couple attempting to set up camp at a slab in the park here were "greeted" by the very irate pair, screeching & wing flapping when they parked on a site chosen for a nest. It was a great display which lasted about 20 minutes. Meanwhile the campers waved chairs at them until the birds fled. It seems Vics just don't understand curlew language. There was no doubt in my mind. The park owner came out and told the campers curlews weren't getting priority this year. They got it last year on 2 nesting sites they'd chose. The two chicks are now almost as tall as mum. Dad's a bit bigger than mum. Just about time to look for another nest for the next generation. I get great joy watching them as they go about their day and nocturnal activities. I was alarmed to find one of the chicks in the ladies amenities the other evening, looking at itself in the mirror. Mum and dad do it often, feeding on the bugs which drop off the the bug cooker hanging from the ceiling.