Bush Stone-Curlew and chick

Bush Stone-Curlew and chick,
originally uploaded by Nicarra.

I found this photo on Flickr of the bush stone curlew. This is the pair of birds I've been watching nest in the leaf litter at the back of my work. They hatched a pair of chicks last weekend. I haven't been able to get nearly this close for a photo, so I borrowed someone else's.

These are nocturnal birds, and very drowsy at night. They have very long legs, presumably for wading. Their camouflage is excellent, and they are very hard to find in their usual habitat, which is under trees, at least during the daytime. They freeze when threatened, the better to blend in to the background. But, when you come too close, they will make themselves very big, open their wings, and hiss at the attacker. I've seen the pair I've been observing take on flocks of mina birds and even crows, so they aren't shy at all.

One thing that amazes me is that they nest on the ground. I don't really understand this, since I suspect there is a good threat of snakes a lizards. But, they do seem to be a bonded pair, so usually one was keeping lookout while the other sat on the eggs. I also saw them change places on the nest a few times, so they do seem to share parenting duties.

Now that the chicks have hatched, the adults are feeding the chicks. For the first few days, the chicks hunkered down under the adults, but now they are being refused.

Fascinating stuff, and I'm looking forward to the little ones fledging. Although I'll miss them when they're gone, it's been great to see the progress they've been making over the past month or so.