Dramas in the Valley after curlew chick’s tumble down Gipps St drain

Police have come to the rescue after a family of curlews caused quite the sensation in Fortitude Valley on Saturday night.
The birds had been crossing Gipps Street when a chick lost its footing and fell down a drain.
Its parents refused to leave the chick behind and in true curlew fashion, also refused to let anyone near the drain – especially cars driving along Gipps Street.
A number of officers came to the rescue, conducting traffic control and lifting the drain to reach the chick, which was reunited with its parents.
SEE THE PHOTOS BELOW
“After receiving a few well-earned pecks from its rather irate parent, mum and chick were ushered off the road and into a park,” police said.






BirdLife Australia project officer Callan Alexander said while it might not seem like the most practical place to call home, bush stone-curlews have taken quite a liking to developed areas.
“They’re what we call an urban adaptor,” he told Laurel, Gary & Mark. “It sort of seems like the way that we’ve been modifying the landscape, they seem to like it, basically.
“They definitely seem to be doing better further north, where it’s a bit warmer.”
Press PLAY below to hear more
Images: Queensland Police Service