In a desperate attempt to save the latest Little Darwin resident Curlew chicks , seen here with their mother , from attack by Barking Owls and other marauders , a kind of floating , walk through prison camp has been constructed in the backyard . If the chicks survive for another week or so they will be big enough to look after themselves , go their own way in 2017 . After having lost many chicks during the year it will be a major achievement, especially as a fat cat has been chased recently on two occasions .
The containment area is made from panels from a former swimming pool fence , the configuration changed from time to time to baffle ( in theory ) would be predators , especially at night, when the air is filled with screeching and rustling due to flying foxes, possums , owls , causing disturbed sleep, bigger bags under the eyes of this blogger ,who totters out of the bunk with a torch , grabs a broom to engage the brutal enemy . And would you believe , that out the front a pair of Curlews have set up shop on the boundary and produced an egg , near the road , out in the baking sun . Not sure if this is another blessed Christmas event .
My main New Year's resolution is to have no further stressful relationships with Curlews and their cute chicks by shooing them away and replacing them with an artificial defensive Curlew and tiny chick, above, from Artscape, which showcases the diverse artistic output of Magnetic Island .
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Jungle section of Stalag 13.
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