Unbelievably this bird was just sitting in some scrubby bush by a busy walkway in downtown Byron Bay. It was unfazed by my proximity until a got that inch too close and it made a long, hissing noise to indicate to me that I needed to back off.
The Bush Stone-curlew, or Bush Thick-knee, is a large, slim, mainly nocturnal, ground-dwelling bird. It is mostly grey-brown above, streaked with black and rufous. It is whitish below with clear, vertical black streaks. The bill is small and black, and the eye is large and yellow, with a prominent white eyebrow. It’s a nocturnal bird and feeds at night.
Canon 450D, EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM