Locating all the Bush Stone-curlews in Byron Bay as part of the monitoring program is a major effort. Some have chosen strange places to hide.
The two Bush Stone-curlews have chosen an open storage shed as their winter quarters.
Bush Stone-curlew Monitoring Program
Bush Stone-curlews are endangered in New South Wales. In the Northern Rivers region these birds are monitored and protected where necessary. After an elaborate courtship dance the Bush Stone-curlews nest on the bare ground, laying one or two eggs. The eggs hatch after 30 days but the chicks take another nine weeks before the are able to fly.
During this period the young are especially vulnerable to disturbance and predation by foxes, cats and dogs. Fencing around nest sites and awareness programs are being organised during the spring to summer breeding season.
This Bush Stone-curlew was photographed at 2:00 in the afternoon outside a corner shop in the Arts - Industrial Precinct in Byron Bay, New South Wales.