Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Curlew Watch

http://branches.wildlife.org.au/bayside/curlew.html





As far back as 1992 concern was being expressed about the plight of the Bush Curlew (Bush Thick knee) through the pages of the Wildlife Australia Magazine. A Friends group was set up in Victoria with the aim of bringing to public attention the declining numbers of both the Bush Curlew (Burhinus grallarius) and the lesser known Beach Curlew (Esacus neglectus). Both these birds are extremely vulnerable to a variety of impacts because of their particular life style and responses to predators. Both species of the birds live in the Bayside (Redland and Wynnum/Manly) area of southeast Queensland.

The entire world population of Bush curlews (Burhinus grallarius) occurs solely in Australia. Unfortunately there has been a significant reduction in population density in southern parts of Australia. In Victoria it is listed as threatened and in New South Wales as endangered.

Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland Bayside Branch (WPSQBB) is conducting an ongoing survey of Curlew populations.

Because the Bush Curlew and the Beach Curlew are disappearing in many parts of Australia, it is important to collect information in southeast Queensland to establish their status here. Volunteer curlew surveyors are playing a vital role in ensuring this information is collected and collated into a useable form. New volunteer curlew observers are always welcome.
Curlew

Often these birds are heard rather than seen so records of hearing the birds could be as important as records of sightings. They call at night when they are most active perusing their food or a mate. Their call sounds like a loud, haunting, mournful wail.

Curlews rarely fly spending their time on the ground. Their eggs are laid directly on the ground in the case of the Bush Curlew and on a sandy beach in the case of the Beach Curlew. The Curlew is a large bird standing 55 cm tall, which relies on camouflage for protection, which unfortunately, is now seldom sufficient. Eggs, chicks and adult birds are all vulnerable to

* predation by foxes, dogs and cats
* loss of habitat
* disturbance when nesting
* being run over by motor vehicles
* changed fire regimes
* Pesticides

Studying Curlews

The Queensland Wader Study Group and Redland City Council are studying the curlews on Coohiemudlo and attaching green bands to their legs to identify and monitor individuals. Birds banded on Coochiemudlo have been seen on Macleay Island, on the Mainland at Cleveland and Victoria Point.Another bird banded at Cleveland was found on Macleay Island suggesting that the birds, at least in the South of the bay mix.
As well as banding birds, individual birds caught are weighed and measured to assess their condition and individuals are monitored to record their movements and breeding.
Any observations on either leg flagged birds seen in your local area, or any information on breeding, time of breeding, number of young hatched, number of young reared to fledging, would be very useful to the study. The submission forms on this site allow you to send this information in if you would like to contribute.
If you see a bird with a green leg flag please try to read the two character code on the flag and report it but even just a sighting of the flag provides us with some information.

Curlews - How to Care for Them

Care of bush curlews is still an inexact science. If a stone curlew is in a situation where it can be readily caught for treatment it is in dire need. It must be remembered that as with any wild bird, Curlews can and will try to defend themselves from rescuers.
If a bird is to be taking in for care you must try and reduce stress where ever possible. This is best done by initially placing the bird in a dark quiet corner away form human noises and influences. Keep the bird covered until veterinary attention is given.
Always make sure that you give the vet or the carer the address where the curlew was found so that it can be returned to its home.
Fortunately Bush-stone Curlews are a relatively easy bird to care for. They have a broad diet, which can be easily substituted if required in the captive environment. They feed primarily on insects and the young feed for themselves. If the orphans are only days old it may be necessary to supplement food supply to ensure adequate amounts are obtained. However make sure the chick is an orphan. Many curlew chicks are 'rescued' unnecessarily. The parents will ake them back and in the case of both parents being killed chicks will sometimes be adopted by other breeding curlews.
Artificial feeding can consist of mixture of roo meat mixed with a commercially available dietary supplement particularly calcium and vitamins. Advise on mixture rates and amounts will be available on the product packaging. If there is insufficient nutrients particularly calcium in the diet problems can develop with the bird's legs, feet and beak. They are also susceptible to over dosing with calcium. Stone Curlews can also be feed a variety of invertebrates including meal worms, crickets and other insects. Mice, lizards, frogs and other vertebrate fauna are also readily consumed.
Care must be take to not over feed juvenile birds. Overfeeding can cause them to grow too quickly, which will cause particular problems with the legs. Birds may ask for more food, however it is best to keep to recommended amounts.

Curlew...Bush Stone Curlew

http://bird.net.au/bird/index.php?title=Bush_Stone-curlew




The Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius) is a large, ground-dwelling bird of extraordinary grace and beauty. It is endemic to Australia and nearby islands. It was formerly known as the Bush Thick-knee.

Although the Bush Stone-curlew looks rather like a wader and is related to the oystercatchers, avocets and plovers, it is a dry-land predator: essentially a winged terrestrial carnivore.

Like most stone-curlews, it is mainly nocturnal and specialises in hunting small grassland animals: frogs, spiders, insects, molluscs, crustaceans, snakes, lizards and small mammals are all taken, mostly gleaned or probed from soft soil or rotting wood; also a few seeds or tubers, particularly in drought years. Birds usually forage individually or in pairs over a large home range, particularly on moonlit nights.

Image:Fawn Curlew-341.jpg
In Victoria, Bush Stone-curlews are rare and endangered. This is one of a small community surviving in the Birchip area. Note the superb camouflague.
Image:Bush Stone-curlew-with-chick.jpg
Parent and chick, Cape Hillsborough, Queensland.

During the day, Bush Stone-curlews tend to remain inactive, sheltering amongst tall grass or low shrubs and relying on their cryptic plumage to protect them from their only natural predators: raptors.

When disturbed, they freeze motionless, often in odd-looking postures. For visual predators like raptors (and humans), this works well, but it serves little purpose with introduced feral animals that hunt by scent: notably foxes.

Despite their ungainly appearance and habit of freezing motionless, they are sure-footed, fast and agile on the ground, and although they seldom fly during daylight hours, they are far from clumsy in the air; flight is rapid and direct on long, broad wings.

Bush Stone-curlews remain reasonably common in the north of Australia, but have become rare in the more fertle south, particularly in Victoria where they are endangered.

In southwest Victoria, the Bush Stone-curlew is recorded from West Wimmera Shire, Hindmarsh Shire, Yarriambiack Shire and Horsham Rural City.