Council call as rare bird breeds

Gosford Council has called for the cooperation of Peninsula residents as the endangered bush stone-curlew enters its breeding season.

Council's natural resources officer Ms Nikki Bennetts has asked residents to look out for nesting birds.

Only 20 of the birds are thought to exist on the Central Coast and the Peninsula is thought to be home to at least one breeding pair.

Ms Bennetts has issued some guidelines for their treatment during the breeding season.

She said that it was important that dogs, foxes and cats were kept away from these birds at all times.

Adequate habitat needed to be protected and maintained in the area.

This included sufficient fallen timber being left on the ground as the Bush Stone-curlew required logs for camouflage when roosting or nesting and for foraging for insects.

No fertiliser, insecticide or herbicide should be used in areas used by the birds.

Mowing of grass areas near nest sites should cease until eggs hatch.

Disturbance to the birds should be limited, Ms Bennetts said.

"This may be supported by installing temporary or permanent fencing around the nesting site," she said.

If a nest was abandoned before the eggs hatch, residents should contact her at the Council offices or contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service Gosford office.

Ms Bennetts said: "This bird is easily recognised as it stands 50-60cm tall with long legs, mottled brown, white and grey plumage, a short, dark beak and a large yellow eye.

"It tends to stand or lie motionless in woodlands where it is well camouflaged during the day and becomes active between dusk and dawn while foraging for food.

"Its presence is more often indicated by a wailing 'weer-lo' call after dark."

Ms Bennetts said the breeding season usually began around August or September with a noisy courtship.

"When preparing for breeding, bush stone-curlews begin to call more frequently and will be seen regularly at their chosen nest site until a clutch is laid.

"A pair may have one or two clutches per breeding season containing one or two well-camouflaged brown speckled chicken egg sized eggs.

"Eggs are laid directly on bare ground and the site is typically near the edge of open grassy woodland.

"The incubation period is between 22 and 30 days after which the nest site will be abandoned.

"The parents feed the chick until it is four weeks old and it will be eight to 10 weeks before the chick can fly.

"Until this stage, the chick is extremely vulnerable to predation.

"The parents may also chase the chick away one to two weeks before attempting to lay a second clutch in the same or nearby site."

The bush stone-curlew (burhinus grallarius) is listed as endangered on Schedule 1 of the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.

A Recovery Plan has been developed by the Department of the Environment and Climate Change to facilitate the recovery of this endangered species, said Ms Bennetts.

The Recovery Plan and further information about bush stone-curlews is available for download from, http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/profile.aspx?id=10113.

In NSW, it is estimated that there are only 1000 breeding pairs left.

In the Gosford LGA it is estimated that there are less than 16 birds remaining of which only two breeding pairs are known.

This population has declined from the eight to 10 breeding pairs observed in 2002.

For further information or to report abandoned nests, contact Ms Bennetts at Gosford Council on 4325 8844 or the National Parks and Wildlife Service Gosford office on 4320 4280.

Media release, 10 Oct 2007 Nikki Bennetts, Gosford Council