Is that a Warning Sign about Salties, Lara? How big do they get there?

Dave.

Thanks for the pics....this one is just beautiful. You're doing a great job.
D.

Hi Lara, you travel safely and have a wonderful time. Will follow your adventure on here.
Stay safe.
Phil

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Hi Dave,
Yes, they're warning about salt water crocodiles. The males can be very large and grow up to about 5 metres (16 feet?). Mostly the ones sighted here are small. Just the day before yesterday one was photographed swimming in the stinger nets at the next beach from here. It's quite a funny photo to me. The reality is that it was probably in there all day having a swim and so were people.:o

from The Cairns Post - Croc in nets

At this time of year people usually only swim in specially made enclosures or wear stinger suits. The massive swimming enclosures are netted to stop the Irukandji jellyfish. When I was young they weren't around but with the warming oceans they're now found much further south.

I have seen all the signs around but figured that was just to alert the public who might not think they're around. My warning photo was taken at an inlet of a small creek to the sea. That's where most of the signs seem to be.

I've not seen a saltie yet thank goodness, but I did see a Bush Stone Curlew. It looked a very mysterious creature on very long legs looking this way and that and acting quite suspiciously as it raced across from the bush to the beach. I didn't have a camera with me unfortunately and it's possibly a lost opportunity because I may not see another up here. [p.s. the Curlews - they make really eerie sounds in the night. I hear them every night]

I just took a couple of the Curlews that I found in the carpark of all places. I thought they were nocturnal but obviously not as it was very bright and very hot out there. I took these ones and then when I came back there were 3 of them, but they scurried off with the adults protecting the baby.

These are Bush Stone Curlews *I think*.
They make very loud wailing or screeching sounds. :o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZWHUU41gsk

and some neat footage of them in breeding season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpNf5yPcoqk

Cool Curlew pics, Lara. I miss taking photos of birds particularly, either in my garden or at the cliffs of the local Bird/Nature Reserve.

Dave.

It's a beautiful early morning in the tropics! :D

Took this not long ago this morning. Lots of mozzies after the rain. UGH. Have to keep them at bay. Dengue and Ross River fever rife here. Had a few extremely hot days after a deluge of glorious torrential rain.

Poor baby curlew appears to have been abandoned by its parents already. It's still sitting in the same area on its own day after day. I hope it learns to feed itself soon because it doesn't look so great to me.

Just wanted to post this pretty sunrise from this morning. It's the best part of the day for me (apart from the mozzies today) temperature wise plus there are few people around which is how I like it. ;)

That is a lovely picture Lara :).

I hope that the baby curlew learns to fend for itself - can you put out any food for it to tide it over?

We decided that if we see it there tomorrow we'll call a wildlife carer. Usually I would think it best to leave the bird to fend for itself but these birds are supposed to be nocturnal and this baby is sitting out all day in a tiny garden in the middle of the carpark. It's not even in any shade and it rarely seems to move out of one particular open area. It's in one of my photographs above.. I'm not sure what is best really. I don't have many "grasshoppers, spiders, lizards, centipedes, snails, small frogs, small reptiles, ground beetles, crickets, caterpillars" (from the net) on hand :eek: to feed it is the problem, although it did say they eat "small fruit". Maybe bush berries of some sort. Heck.

If it's there in the midday sun tomorrow I'll call someone about it. I can't understand how it could bear to sit in this heat especially in the concrete car park. It's hard just walking out of the building to the car for hours of the day because the concrete reflects the sun and heat.

Maybe it sleeps with its eyes open. I should look into that. I just can't understand how it's always awake if it's nocturnal. It's not active during the day that's for sure, but it has its eyes wide open. Such an odd little bird.

eee gads, just saw my temp. It's nearly 9pm and it's 29C LOL ugggh

kiwi, just an update about the Curlew chick.

I'd not posted again because the day after I posted the above message I went out before the sun came up and saw him/her pecking away in the lawn at the front of the building and it was also drinking water on the side of the road. I thought that was a really good sign and obviously he or she heads out in the dark to feed.

I still see the bird sitting in the same area during the day but I am relieved to see that it's looking quite healthy now compared with just a couple of weeks ago.

I just came across an article posted this morning on the ABC Au, about how the drier weather is causing Curlew parents to abandon their chicks. The article is about Townsville and it's been very dry down there. In this area it's unseasonally dry because of El Nino effect but we have been having some rain at least.

ABC Au - North Queensland drought conditions blamed for curlews abandoning chicks

When I look at the tiny chicks in the article that have been abandoned, I realize that this one in the carpark is much older and should be able to fend for itself.

These are very interesting birds. Check out the angle of their joints in their legs. When they grow into adult birds, it's such a funny sight to see them sitting down on the ground with these great long legs out in front of them.