Happy April! I hope your start to the month was a good one. This month on your Bird’s-eye view calendar we have the fabulous Beach stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris), also known as the Beach Thick-knee. I think these birds are so underappreciated! That is one of the main reasons why I included it in the calendar.
All credit must go to my Mum who spotted this beauty and pointed it out to me. It was the first time I had ever seen one in the flesh and oh my goodness, how beautiful he/she was! We watched as they did their best yoga moves, stretching this way and that, and then they stood and posed beautifully for me to take a photo (or a hundred!). I especially love the light in this photo. The golden tones of the sand highlight the curlew’s feathers, and the blue of the water complements the bird and the sand.
Unlike our Bush stone-curlew friends (who featured in the calendar last year) who have an eerie, intensely loud wail that keeps you awake at night, Beach stone-curlews have higher-pitched whistling and peeping calls. Check out their record on ebird if you are interested.
We spotted this Beach stone-curlew at Buckley’s Hole Conservation Park on Bribie Island. I’d love to know if you’ve spotted a beach stone-curlew too? In other news for this month, I am taking part in my first exhibition at The Churn Gallery in Dayboro. The aptly named theme for the exhibition is Feather & Fur. My entry is a coloured pencil and pastel drawing of two Forest Kingfishers hunting at Forgan Cove, Lake Samsonvale. The exhibition opens April 5th – 27th. Wish me luck in finding a new home for my kingfishers!
Art featuring on new products this month includes my scaly-breasted lorikeet, and plumed whistling-duck. New products are available on my Etsy Shop. If you are super-quick, you can grab the last day or two of my 20% off selected items in store.
Wishing you a beautiful, non-rainy April, and thank you for being here.