I spent a couple of nights at Russell Is (in
Moreton Bay, Qld) and was delighted to hear the blood-curdling call of the
Bush Stone-Curlews one night. My sister-in-law later lent me a booklet by
the local writers' group which had a couple of poems about the
"Curlews", and she told me some people had them in their gardens,
but I didn't have time to investigate the matter further. So it seems that
some of the locals do know and treasure them.
My question for the Brisbane-Bayside
birdwatchers is - Are these birds secure on the Island (and maybe on other
islands in the Moreton Bay group)? Or is there some way the local people
could be encouraged to make much of them and enhance their protection? I
could try to 'work on' my sister-in-law with the view that Russell Is people
are fortunate to have them, etc. Maybe someone could tell me what points to
mention to encourage their conservation.
I understand Bush Stone-Curlews are still
gracing Magnetic Island (off Townsville). How do the locals regard them
there? And do they have positive encouragement to protect the
birds?
Gloria Glass
nr
Toowoomba
