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
