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This spot is interesting for several reasons:
There are four story boards outlining the early history of the area, and - as a real bonus - there is a flock of stone-curlews who live in the close proximity (ten as at 12 May 2012).
They can often seen down the hill towards the Casino, on the wood chip litter, between Gilruth Ave and the access road to the Botanic Gardens workshop compound, off to your left.
The story boards outline some early history of the area - Vestey's meat works, the George Brown Botanical Gardens and how the area got its name
But the Stone-curlews.
The bush stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius) is a large, ground-dwelling bird of extraordinary grace and beauty (to some, anyway!). It is endemic to Australia and nearby islands. It was formerly known as the Bush Thick-knee.
Bush stone-curlews are quite unusual looking birds, unlike any other bird found in Australia. They are mostly grey-brown above, streaked with black and rufous, whitish below with clear, vertical black streaks. The bill is small and black, and the eyes are large and yellow, with a prominent white eyebrow. Both sexes are similar. Young bush stone-curlews are similar in appearance to the adults, but are paler, and a little browner in colour. On the wood chip litter where these birds seem to congregate, down the hill from the info shed, they are perfectly camouflaged.
Like most stone-curlews, they are mainly nocturnal and specialise in hunting small grassland animals such as frogs, spiders, insects, molluscs, crustaceans, snakes, lizards and small mammals, mostly taken from soft soil or rotting wood. In drought years they supplement their diet, taking seeds or tubers. Birds usually forage individually or in pairs over a large home range, particularly on moonlit nights.
During the day, these birds tend to remain inactive, sheltering amongst tall grass or low shrubs, relying on their cryptic plumage to protect them from their only natural predators: raptors.
When disturbed, they freeze, motionless, often in odd postures. For visual predators like raptors (and humans), this method of becoming “invisible” works well, but it serves little purpose with predators such as dogs or dingos, that hunt by scent.
As bush stone-curlews are nocturnal birds, doing all their feeding and other activities at night, the best time for viewing these mournful-sounding birds is early morning or late in the afternoon, though they often can be seen during the day, standing motionless beneath the trees in the area.
It really is quite exciting seeing this strange and threatened species so close to the CBD.
It's not a requirement, but if your log contained a "head count" and the approximate time you visited, it could be interesting.
Take a wander down the access road and look up to your right... you may well see a number of these weird birds, standing like small feathered sculptures. Please - if it's with you, can you keep the geo-mut under control?
01 Sep 2012
Since the closure of the track leading from the Gardens compound to the Gardens, about a month ago, the birds seemed to have moved a bit. There is often a concentration of curlews beneath the trees behind the gates. Keep your eyes peeled - they can be very difficult to spot and a cursory glance may reveal nothing!
NOTE:
The safest parking is in Salonika St. Don't park in Gilruth Ave.
Note 2:
The map on the page is out of date as it doesn't show the direct connection of Goyder Rd to the roundabout - in fact, it doesn't even show the roundabout, nor the street name, Salonika St (it's only been about five or six years since the roundabout and traffic lights was put in!!!!!)
The Google map and satellite view is MUCH, MUCH better!!!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Guvf bar znl or ybatre guna lbh guvax!