The Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary and the Woodlands & Wetlands Trust have a unique offer to sponsor a curlew. Coming off the successful reintroduction in 2014 they are releasing 10 Bush Stone-curlews in Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary. The curlews are awaiting release and the only thing they need now is a sponsor and a good name for each of them.
Organisations, families or individuals can sponsor a curlew at $1000 per bird (tax deductible). This will entitle the sponsor to naming rights, a certificate of appreciation (including photograph of sponsored bird), an opportunity to meet the bird before release, weekly updates on the program and sponsor’s logo/name acknowledging their support on the website curlews.org. There will be significant media coverage of the trials and tribulations of the newest feathered Canberrans.
However, this endeavor is not for the faint of heart. It’s a jungle out there and the curlews can fly outside the safety of the Sanctuary fence and risk being eaten by foxes and cats. Last year some birds survived the excursion outside the fence while others did not. Rowena the curlew (pictured below) spend almost a week in the suburb of Forde hanging out near the cafe before being collected and returned to the Sanctuary where she has stayed ever since. It looks like love is in the air with Rowena setting her eyes firmly on Herbie as a suitable mate.
Bush Stone-curlews are amazing creatures that have been locally extinct for nearly half a century. They are large, ground living birds, which rest among tussocky grasses, leaf litter, logs or fallen timber during the day. At night curlews come out to feed, and have an eerie, high pitched, far-carrying call, often likened to someone wailing. Masters of camouflage, they are hard to see during the day, and are more often heard than seen. If threatened, they will often crouch down on the ground, hoping to blend into the surroundings and not be seen. Once found across much of Australia in lowland open woodland, curlews have declined in south-east Australia due to clearing of their habitat and because foxes and feral cats eat their vulnerable eggs and chicks.
The Woodlands & Wetlands Trust is taking a pro-active approach to help conserve the species in southern Australia. The aim is to establish a wild, self-sustaining population of Bush Stone-curlews in the Capital Region. They are starting at Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary, a protected, predator free area. These birds are an important feature of woodland landscapes, helping control insect and small animal populations and providing a character to the landscape.
If you would like to know more about sponsoring a curlew at the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary please email Sanctuary Ecologist
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