If you’ve been visiting Chiconia for a while, you’ll recall Mr & Mrs Bush Stone-Curlew.
I find them a little creepy to look at with their huge staring eyes and their fixed immobility for long periods of time. Other people find them quirky and interesting. Which is fine, but they don’t need to live right next door to the creatures. Last year, they moved in a couple of metres from my clothesline, laid a couple of eggs, glared at us when we came too close and made our nights hideous with their screaming cries. Once the solitary chick had hatched, they moved further down the back yard and we got a little peace.
For a couple of days now, Mr & Mrs have been inspecting the same piece of real estate, giving us the same glares and show every sign of repeating their performance. I suppose we should be pleased they feel safe and comfortable enough to come back.
I’ll leave you with a video link which I feel explains very clearly why I’m not totally thrilled to bits!
Oh dear! Is there anyway you can encourage them to find somewhere else to nest? I can handle daytime noise. Night time noise would have me stark raving made in short order with no sleep.
I don’t like to shoo them off, as they’re getting a bit rare around here… This too will pass.
More like putting them just a bit away from the bedroom window. I wouldn’t shoo them either. How long do they make that noise? I tend to keep a fan running at night to drown out noises so I can sleep a little anyway.
They’re nocturnal, and it’s off and on through the night. We’ll live with it, and keep the aircon going instead of having the windows open!
Ah, good plan.
Any chance you can make the real estate as unappealing as possible? Build a 30 story tower next to it? Have raucous, wild parties? Make parking impossible? Endless possibilities!!
Any of those possibilities would have the effect of driving me off too! At least they’ll be on the other side of the house from our bedroom…
Perhaps sleep with noise-canceling headphones or one of those white noise machines?
Normally we rely on the aircon and ceiling fan to provide some white noise, but it’s getting cooler at night so we’ve been turning that off and just sleeping with the windows open. Back to aircon, I suspect…
Maybe put a long Beethoven symphony on…
WoW ~ what a voice! I totally understand! Nice to have them visit and can’t wait till they depart!
It’s impressive, isn’t it? Wouldn’t mind at all if it was during the day, but it can be a bit much at night.
I think they are very striking and beautiful, not creepy. But I respect your opinion! They do however sound very creepy and would totally do my head in wailing all night!
I agree, they’re very striking and beautiful, but they have such a grumpy expression, and they stare so! They’re 2.5 metres away from where I park my car, and I always feel I have to scuttle around humbly when unpacking the groceries to avoid disturbing them. I think I shall name them after aristocrats: Sir Horace Bush Stone-Curlew and Lady Laetitia Bush Stone-Curlew, who don’t take kindly to peasants in the grounds of their mansion 🙂
Ha! I love it!
😉
Yes, their plaintive wailing at night is a bit too creepy for me too. Ah, nature. 😂
A girl being murdered is the best description I’ve heard. Not my favourite sound-track to go to sleep to!
Maybe you could put something big where they nested last year so they go a bit further from the house?
I wouldn’t want to upset them, despite all my protests. It’s hard enough for them to raise babies as it is; the black kite numbers around here are massive and the attrition rate for chicks is devastating. Nesting right there, they have overhead cover, and the kites avoid coming so close to the house.
You are a dear!
Awww…
Are they looking to nest right near the house again or in the spot that’s further out? I can understand how their cries would get annoying.
It’s about 15ft from my back door… I know they return to the previous year’s spot by preference, but I hoped they’d go to where they raised their chick last time instead of where they laid the eggs. No such luck.
Oh, too bad. Maybe they’ll move further out once any eggs are hatched this season. Here’s hoping!
Fingers crossed. Last year the noise ratio went down considerably once there was a chick…
Sounds like they think they have a permanent lease on the spot! Quite the sound they make!
There’s room enough to share, I guess! And yes, that is quite some scream they give out
I’m a weirdo, I looove Curlews! We have a couple that hang out on our street and I quite enjoy them calling out at night 🙂
It’s the ‘right outside the door’ bit that bothers me… And they are fascinating, just a bit grumpy looking!
Oh my word, they sound like the fire alarm at work!
I hope they find a different spot!
Hugs
If that’s what your fire alarm sounds like, you have my sympathy!
Wow what a dilemma, the honour of a rare species camping on your doorstep, or the sleepless nights whilst their visit lasts. I think (despite hating anything disturbing my sleep), I would have to just put up with the latter in order to enjoy the former honour.
Same here! And I guess it means we’re not too scary, or they wouldn’t settle so close by.
I’ve just watched the video and it set my dogs off barking. Earplugs?
Earplugs is definitely a strong possibility. Sorry about setting off the dogs…
Hee hee, just set my 3 dogs off looking for what was making that awful sound!
I’m not at all surprised!
I can see the glare and I guess you´re gonna have to live with them once again 🙂
Yes, they’ve made that very clear!
🙂
I know it’s not funny for you, but I did have to smile at that video link!
We live on a main road and I have to have the radio on to drown out the traffic noise so that I can sleep, so I’m always a bit perplexed by people who complain about bird noise – but in your case I’ll make an exception! Although I would still rather hear that than sirens, revving engines and car stereos!
Having lived on a major cross-city arterial road in London, I hear you! But there’s a difference between the heavy rumble of traffic and the sudden loud screaming of these birds. I never fail to think it’s a human screaming for the first second or two, it’s such a similar sound!
OMG this is bad !!! Why are they so attracted to your place ?
It must be the neighbours (us!)
The nighttime noise would get Terry, but I would delight in them. Although, on second thought sudden loud screaming birds might not be so cool…but then again….they might.
Linda
You’ll just have to come for a visit to find out if loud screaming birds is an attraction or if Terry has it right after all 🙂
Heard the video link, ow I get it. You need a cat!
Shame we had to give the Dowager’s Cat back… on the other hand, No! She was just as noisy as they are!
I’ve just listened to the video at your link, and have managed to disturb both cats. Now *that* is funny. Best of luck getting through baby season.
We are grateful to discover that over the last couple of days Sir Horace and Lady Laetitia have discovered that the neighbourhood is not salubrious, and have moved all the way down the back yard – and almost out of earshot!
Three cheers for the fortuitous relocation.
Sadly now rescinded. They’re back… Clearly the peasants in the new location were more troublesome than we were!
Drats! I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacay while they were away.
[…] few days before the work commenced, Sir Horace and Lady Laetitia Bush Stone-Curlew went off somewhere for several days. We rejoiced in a slightly guilty fashion, but it was very […]