Tuesday 24 September 2013

And over here we have Stone-curlew Corner

I took 115 photos of bush stone-curlews (= bush thick-knees) yesterday. You don't think that you're going to get through the day without seeing some of them, do you? (Insert maniacal laugh here.) [Ed: I suspect readers hear that more often than you imagine.]

Although they are mostly nocturnal, bush stone-curlews are active during the day.


As I was saying, they are active during the day.


 This one spotted something nutritious in the grass. The something nutritious was so large and colourful that I could see if from quite a distance.


The something turned out to be a very big spider-killing wasp (Pompilidae), which was probably provisioning its nest.

Close up of the previous photo.
The wasp is the orange object in the grass


As soon as the stone-curlew approached within striking range, the wasp took off. For the next minute or so, the wasp circled, while the bird whirled around, snapping at the insect. Fortunately, both concluded the encounter without damage.


There are currently nine bush stome-curlews in the garden, so expect more photos over the coming days!