The arrival or two
more cute baby Curlews is a wonderful event . But protecting them from predators brings back bad
memories .The very first Curlew protected to a stage in growth when it was felt
to be “safe” disappeared overnight .
A cat, a dog , a snake ? Then along came Chicky, mentioned several times in this blog , who survived the marauding Barking Owls and other predators . When Chicky’s parents became broody again , they drove their offspring , upon which they had lavished care and protection , away from the backyard so that they could canoodle . Chicky joined the large number of Curlews who congregate out the front .
Each time
booted-out Chicky dares to venture into the backyard seeking to be
fed by my wife, its father homes
in like an Exocet missile, wings outspread , screeching , and drives
its sibling off the range . Poor Chicky has bravely snuck into the kitchen on
two occasions , seeking sympathy and tucker .
Banished to the front, Chicky has teamed up with Yellow Baby, hand raised since a baby orphan , its name due to the fact that it has a yellow band on a leg. When my wife goes out the front of the house and calls Chicky up run Chicky, Yellow Baby... and an increasing number of buddies trying to pass themselves off as Chicky for a quick feed.
When my wife
was feeding the father
in the backyard one afternoon, a Blue-winged Kookaburra swooped down and
started to gobble down the food. Knowing
that Kookaburras kill
baby birds, including Curlews,I
dashed out waving a broom to drive it away.
The Kookaburra seemed to think it was
a game and flapped about the yard , me running hither and thither, like the Fuller Brush Man . From the fence , the Kookaburra looked
at the Curlew mother with the chicks and she responded
with a hiss.
