Whose hiding here?
A mama curlew and her chick, that’s who! (You can see the camouflaged chick in the first photo in the upper right if you look carefully).
Mama quickly proceeded to lead me away from her chick,
like a good protective mama bird.
Bush Stone Curlews are ground dwelling, carnivorous birds native to Australia. They can fly, but rely on concealment to evade predation.
Cheers to you from the clever, camouflaged, curlews~
What a fun bird. Looks like a chick in the background in the first photo?
Yes it is a carefully camouflaged chick.
Oh, those eyes! π
She sees us and we usually don’t see her!
Wonderful captures, Cindy. π
Merci beaucoup mon ami <3
The eyes are the first thing I noticed about these remarkable birds. Great pics, Cindy.
This bird sees us long before we see her!
Yes, I’m sure they’re not just for good looks (but for good “sees”).
Good for both looking and seeing!! π
I love it!
I <3 people who <3 birds!
Beautiful birds, thank you for sharing Cindy. π
Thank you for appreciating them my friend α
Magnifique. C’est trΓ¨s rΓ©confortant pendant ce confinement qui commence Γ peser. Un grand merci.
Oui. L’enfermement est fatigant. Je suis content que maman birdie ait Γ©gayΓ© ta journΓ©e. Restez en sΓ©curitΓ©.
Lovely
She is indeed α
What a good momma bird! Their camo is really good and hides them very nicely.
If it weren’t for those blazing green eyes, I would never have seen here α
He blends in so well with his back ground Cindy.
Leslie xoxo
Remarkably effective isn’t it! α
Great camouflage……
Wish I had it! α
π
Mama Curlew does not look at all happy to be photographed!
She did not want me near the chicks. I think there were two, but I didn’t get close enough to verify α
I think another theme of the photos was that shades of brown plumage are beautiful, too.
Yes, well you are an observant and sensitive person. I am lucky to know you α
Thank you, Cindy!
α
It blends so well with its environment! Another bird with bright eyes!
Quite amazing. Only the eyes were not perfectly camouflaged!
Love the markings! It’s amazing how well animals camouflage themselves.
The combination of stillness and camouflage is quite effective α
Stunning photos Cindy
Ah, thank you Sheree & cheers to you α
π
She’s giving you the “move along” eye. π
She definitely was in full protective mode α
Mama sure looks wary … suspicious, even. She’s got some great camouflage here. Do they only have one chick at a time? I’ve never seen a birdie like this — now you’ve got me curious. I’m heading to Google to learn more!
Mama was definitely in protective mode. I think she may have had two chicks, but I didn’t want to be invasive or scare them to find out. α
This is a beautiful bird, Cindy, and as you say, a good momma too π
I am always impressed with bird parents. They are so hardworking α
It’s a wonder that you saw them in the first place, they are so well camouflaged! Nice set, Cindy. Hope you are doing well. <3
Yes, it was quite a treat to see them. We are doing fine so far. Stay safe and well my friend α
Love those amber eyes, Cindy, a beautiful bird!
So sorry I missed this comment Terri. This happens when I rely on the reader. The eyes have it! Aren’t they arresting. I wouldn’t have spotted her expect her eyes were focused on me, the intruder.
cathynative77@gmail.com Pastor Cathy Native
Really wonderful. Don’t mess with Mama!
Exactly! She’s a good mama α
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Lovely bird and cute baby. I love her white eyelashes.
You are very observant! α
π
To bring out the details of these well-camouflaged birds requires great skills. Superb images, Cindy!
It is quite difficult to photograph through the brush. So kind of you Peter and thank you for knowing! α
Mama looks angry too. And her beak looks like a good defensive weapon. π
How are you doing, Cindy?
Yeah, I did not linger long, or try to see the chicks. I fully respected her maternal protectiveness. I still feel like her with my adult children!! α
Oops, it didnβt show my gravatar image, again. (Above). That was me; Joyce.
Thank you for letting me know. I am always curious about the anonymous ones! α
Wonderful photographs! As soon as I opened this to read I thought I recognised the bird. No, but these curlews are cousins of the Thick-knees we have in South Africa: Burhinus capensis and Burhinus vermiculatus.
Yes!!! And I have photos of them in South Africa too, that I have never posted. It is because I had seen them before in South Africa that I recognized this mama and her chicks. Synchronicity α
WunderschΓΆne Bilder, Cindy
Vielen dank mein lieber Freund α
Those piercing eyes are mesmerizing! Brilliant!!
Isn’t she stunning. There more lovely than mothers and children of any species α
Beautiful shots Cindy!
Merci beaucoup mon ami α
Nature heals, including photos of nature, but especially your beautiful photos. Every single time I visit your blog I feel better, more uplifted. Thank you, Cindy. β₯.
Awwww, your thoughtful comment just lifted my heart immeasurably. Thank you so much for such lovely kindness and be well my friend α
That is one heck of a great Mama! I can see it in her eyes!
What a beauty! Thank you for these wonderful shots, Cindy!
Hope you and yours are all well!
Thank you more for appreciating the birdie mama Resa! We are fine so far. Thanks for caring α
xo
α
Terrific photos. π
Oh, thank you so much Lynette. I need to stop using the reader. I miss comments like yours which is not okay. α
OMG, Beautiful! π
Thank you so much. I agree, a serious and stunning creature α
Wow, I looked these birds up on the net and watch some YouTubes, and they do have a wild “wailing” sound to them! Very good images π.
I have photographed them once each in S. Africa and Australia, and I never heard a peep from them. I am going to have to google how they sound. Thanks for the lead α
The shots of the mama leading you away are superb, Cindy. I am reminded of how killdeer lead you away from their nestsβ even including the broken wing gambit. I wonder if it is common among ground dwelling birds. βCurt
Yes, and plovers (killdeer), have similar mesmerizing eyes α
Leave it to you, Cindy, to stare into their eyes. π And photograph them!
Ahhh, thank you Curt & stay well my friend α
Great pictures Cindy, and mother did her job well. You must have had a great stay here with all the different bird photo’s you have been able to take π
I never have enough time here. This trip things were cut short by covid. I only start to see in Oz, and then I have to leave α
Must be so you have to come back for a longer stay Cindy…much longer π π€£
This is exactly what I think! α
What a special bird! Beautiful photo. Thank you for letting us take a nice close look. π π
When you look Amy, you SEE α
Great photos, and one more bird I wasn’t familiar with.
One of the greatest things about this earth is that will never be nearly enough time to see, or even know about, all the birds that live on it α
So true Cindy π
α
She has an eye on you! π±
She does indeed. And I followed the eye. I wonder if this is what nature intended α
Beautiful captures, Cindy, a new bird to me!
So happy to be able to introduce you α
Beautiful!!!!
Those eyes are mesmerizing aren’t. Maybe they are part of the camouflage. Follow the mesmerizing eyes away from the chicks. α
Nature does have ways of giving critters special ways of keeping themselves and their young safe!
Ingenious mother nature! α
Love the series!
Ah, thank you! Thinking of you and hoping you are well α
Just curious if there was a stream or water nearby. I’m so used to seeing relatives of these birds near beaches and marsh. And yes, those eyes were what caught me first.
Which relatives? I arrived in Oz with the rains that extinguished the fires, so there was ‘water, water everywhere.’ But I have only seen curlews in arid South Africa and now Australia. Where do you see their relatives?
They have quite a range. From Canada to NE California; Texas and Louisiana; South Carolina to South Florida. I’ve seen them in Delaware as well. Try Numenius americanus or long-billed curlew. It’s not quite the same, but a cousin at least.
Oh yes. I have seen them. Thank you for the link. Their coloring and morphology are quite similar α
I’ve only seen these birds in the Great Aviary at Melbourne Zoo and was surprised by their size. They’re enormous and their legs so long.
I missed the Great Aviary. I never stay long enough in Oz. This time covid drove me home. I photographed curlews in South Africa. No chicks though. Still, they so impressed me. What tough terrestrial birds to survive in the African bush. α
How beautiful. Their eyes are amazing. Thank you, as always, for making my day. <3
You add light to my life my friend, so you are more than welcome α
They are adorable. Thanks for sharing
Thank you more for appreciating them & be well my friend α
Your photography has stunned me again, Cyndy. Bootiful! β₯
Thanks so much. Most appreciated my friend & take good care α
Thanketh you, Mon Ami. Bless and best wishes. β₯
α α
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Ahh…I get it. Bush stone curfew! LOL! Stay safe, my friend! _:(βΞβ γ β ):_ γ( ο½₯Σ©ο½₯ )γ
ββ( βΞβ)ββ( ΛβΛ)β‘β‘
You stay safe too, you sweet person you! β‘β‘
β‘α(-ΰΌβΏΰΌ-)αβ‘
αα
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Cindy Knoke’s lovely pictures of some Bush Stone Curlews from Austalia.
Hugs and thank you kind friend & hope you are staying well α
Reblogged this on Echoes in the Mist.
Thank you Sharon for supporting our mutual feathered friends & take good care my friend α
That mama bird is VERY good at conveying she means business with that look !
Slow, deliberate and never took her eyes off mine. Impressive α
Mama’s seem to have the same instinct across the board. π
Yep. We do!! α
These guys are cool Cindy.. Thx for sharing
You are most welcome Gary & hope all is well with you α
Great captures Cindy. Love those beady eyes π
Thank you Val and I love those peepers too! Bird brains are like bird eyes, sharp α
I’m so pleased you saw through the camouflage
The bird eyes did it for me! α
Anonymous is Derrick
A rose by any other name….. α
π
Cute and clever curlew. Thanks for introducing me to another beautiful and unknown bird Cindy. π£
I am honored to make the introduction Brad α
LOL. Maybe a bird brain introduction service? π
Happy to be of service, especially since bird brains are brilliant brains!! π α
π
smart bird, awesome photography!
Your kind comment is very much appreciated. Thank you & be well α
Very very beautiful pictures Cindy, I absolutely love them.
Ahhhh, so thoughtful and so appreciated! Cheers to you Isabel α
I had to look carefully to see those chicks. That is nice. Great looking birds.
Thank you Beverly & hope all is well with you my friend α
Yes we are. Thank the Lord.
α α
What amazing yellow eyes.
This mama sees right through me! α
Great photos, Cindy – a wonderful treat to take my mind away from unspeakable horror.
Oh, to fly away….Stay safe Sheila α
Oh my goodness! Look at that face and that fluff?! Gorgeous photos, Cindy. Wow, wow, wow.
I <3 my friends who <3 birds! Cheers to you α
Strange looking bird. The big yellow eyes seem out of proportion of its body. Also a bit of angry look too.
Yes, now that you mention it, the eyes are disproportionately large and you are right. She was in mama protection mode. Don’t mess with my babies you human! α
Ukrainian people have a joke about crocodiles. They say that crocodiles can fly but tooooo low. LOL…
It looks this bird can fly but not really high and often too. π
Laughing….crocodiles are low fliers and so is this long legged birdie. She has to keep her feet up! π Cheers to you Alexander α
A marvellous camouflage of nature.π
Yes indeed. Hiding in plain sight! α
Beautiful pics! They really do camouflage well. love the piercing yellow eyes.
The eyes are remarkably intense aren’t they! α
Mama looks mad. Such a beautiful bird. I love the feathers.
She was in full bore mama protection mode! α
Oh, yes! Those lowered, glaring eyes. Big mama. π
I love her α
π
LOL, she does look devious. Delightful photos, Cindy. Hugs on the wing!
Hugs back to you Teagan α
Love these pictures, CindyπΈClean Pawkisses for a Happy Tuesday. Stay Safe Healthy and YourselfieππΎπ½π
Herbert the Cat, and I, send purrs back to you, and your catastics α
Beautiful photos and really brings out the flecked colouring and clever camouflage. Must have missed your trip to Australia. Hope all is well with you in the Holler.
Thank you! I hope all is well with you too. We are being careful, but we can’t be careful forever and this is not going away anytime soon. Stay safe my friend α
Yes, this will take time. Stay well.
You too my friend α α
What a beautiful species of bird!
Best WIshes, Charlotte
Yet another glorious creature in our beautiful world. Hope you are still singing on the balcony Charlotte α
Wonderful photos and interesting info. Love the birds.
I <3 people who <3 birds α
What gorgeous eyes she has!
I really was mesmerized by her eyes and her steadfast stare. This reminded me of my cat’s eyes, who also holds eye contact with me just this mama bird did. Lots of animals do this, and I experience it as impressive wordless communication α
It makes me think that thereβs much more going on in their minds then brain size indicates. π
I think there is! α
ππ₯°
Lovely photo documentary of a wonderful bird. A great mum indeed, a behaviour often seen by all the ground nesting birds. We donβt see the Stone-curlew so often, although we have many of the Sandpipers here in the marshes like the Curlew (Numenius Arquata) and the Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferrugina). Great close-ups, Cindy!
I am more familiar with coastal curlews also, but I have seen the bush ones in Africa and now Australia. They are tough solitary survivors. I was quite impressed with this brave and protective mama α
Bonjour ou Bonsoir BELLE CINDY
RΓͺve Γ des jours meilleurs , cela fait partie de notre vie
Sourie , en pensant au bonheur
Vie ces instants en Γ©coutant parler ton cΕur
Ton ennuie s’effacera
Ta vie reprendra des couleurs
Dis toi que l’espoir ressemble Γ un fruit
Si ce fruit est vert il n’a pas de saveur
Ce fruit sera dΓ©licieux s’ il est mure , savoure le sur l’heure
le Bonheur est Γ ce prix , pense Γ ces instants magiques
Bonne journΓ©e ou soirΓ©e
Bisous en toute AmitiΓ©
Bernard
Un petit bouquet de muguet qu’ il t’apporte bonheur au sein de ta demeure et partage le avec les tiens Γ l approche du 1 Mai
https://i.postimg.cc/sDqVJ5ms/mu22G.jpg
Merci beaucoup mon ami Bernard α
Beautiful and such details, thank you for sharing.
Thank you more for appreciating & cheers to you α
How cute, I have never seen one of these birds. Wonderful photos Cindy
Thank you and happy you enjoyed! α
One look into those eyes π
Exactly α
Oh how beautiful. We have curlews here in Scotland and I love to hear their cry just when twilight comes down. xxx
I would love to hear that! α
Wonderful images!!!
Grazie mille α
Love the picturesπ
Makes me happy I posted them, thank you & cheers α
#2 is such a great photo! Cool eye! RH
Thank you so much! Happy you noticed & enjoyed α
Wonderful captures! π«π₯π
So happy you enjoyed & thank you for letting me know! α
Amazing photos!
Grazie mille! α α
πΉπΉπΉ
They have expressive eyes…
Indeed. Sentient α
Wonderful photography and words to match. Love this blog entry.
Honored, thank you very much & cheers to you Mary Ann α
Cindy, thank you for the well wishes. We can only hope that everything opens again soon. Enjoy the weekend. “”__””
Visa versa 2UX2 α α
Cindy – right back at you. Visa versa (( )) your virtual hug today. Enjoy the weekend! ox
β£β£
Hugs. oxox
α
What? What? Iπthis
I am so glad you do!!! Thank you! α α
Cindy, thank you for these wonderful photographs!
Thank you more Charles for your always kind appreciation. It is much appreciated α
You just can’t not look at its eye! it looks like it’s laser-focused on you!
Their eyes are incredible aren’t they! I found more photos of curlews which I forgot I had. In these photos the eyes are even more mesmerizing. I will publish as an addendum soon.
I always learn something when I come here, and today is no exception.
This is a gorgeous bird. About how tall is it?
You are kind, and so appreciated. Bush Stone Curlews stand about 22 inches tall. They have very long legs with nothing there until the legs reach the body which is pretty substantial. A very cool bird~
Cool! Thank you for sharing:)
You are most welcome & cheers to you! α
Gooooooooooddddd vibes, buddy
I am sending them back 2U my friend X2 α
Your photos are beautiful. I’ve never heard of a curlew so I was happy to make her acquaintance.
Thank you so much! I actually found some better photos of another one which I forgot I had. I will post it later.
I will look forward to seeing them.
α
Very nice captures.
Thank you Robert. I didn’t know I had much better photos, taken later, of a curlew. I will post in the future.
pretty bird, fabulous shots!
Thank you very much Sharmishtha α
Cindy, each post a wildlife adventure that takes the reader to distant lands… unique and memorable!
Ahhh, touched. Thank you very much Lance & cheers to you α
My very sincere pleasure, Cindy. Blessings.
What an amusing look in his eyeβ¦ A little miffed that he was found?βΊοΈ
You know I found some more photos of them that are much better. I lose track of photos some time. I need to post them. He was definitely not pleased with my arrival and led me quite clearly away! Good for him or her! α