Curlews on Vulture Street

by Darryl Jones

In Curlews on Vulture Street , acclaimed urban ecologist Darryl Jones reveals the not-so-secret lives of the most common birds that share our towns and cities. Despite the noise, heat, dust and fumes, the ceaseless movement, light and toxins, many birds successfully live their lives among us. And not just furtively in the shadows. Ibis steal our lunch, brush turkeys rearrange gardens, and magpies chase us screaming from near their nest. From his childhood in a country town noticing blackbirds and sparrows to studying brush turkeys in the suburbs, Jones shares a fascinating story of curiosity, discovery, adventure, and conflict, played out in city streets and backyards. He also provides rare insights into the intimate lives of some of our most beloved and feared, despised and admired neighbours. You’ll never see magpies, curlews, ibis, lorikeets, and cockatoos in the same way again.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Birds, Nature, Australia, Science, Natural History

320 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2022

About the author

This article (Darryl^Jones) is for the Australian ecologist.
For the children's author see Darryl^^Jones.
For the English literature professor, see Darryl^^^Jones.

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful.
Perfectly placed for every city dweller who loves nature, or is sometimes curious or surprised by it.
Essential Brisbane reading.

A colleague talked about a researcher they knew who’d written a book on curlews. They asked, “What’s a curlew?” An animated conversation about ‘Murder Birds’ ensued. It included a reproduction of their call and tales from the First Peoples of Far North Queensland. (And various personal encounters from everyone present.)

So of course, I had to buy the book. I bought two, so I could gift one to a friend.
Scientists aren’t always great communicators or indeed writers. But Darryl Jones shares his curiosity and friendly nature so easily, I felt like I could hear his voice and I could easily picture the trees, car parks, and city. It felt less like reading, and more like sharing a conversation with friends.
I started the book around the same time brush turkeys are building their mounds. I cycled through Toohey Forest weekly, and at the start of the bush path off the bikeway a young male was working on a mound. Often I’d come through and there would be vast swathes of leaf litter across the path, and I’d compliment him as the mound came along, and congratulate him when a female appeared. I’d pass another male turkey, or more, along the path before reconnecting with the road. There’s one in my carpark at home, sometimes up to a dozen in the cul de sac down the way, and we regularly shoo them off the footpath and bikeways. When I was studying twenty years ago I had a feud with one that would dig up my crocus bulbs, and my best friend would exit home from the back door after one setup a mound on the front stoop.
Darryl Jones is an urban ecologist and particularly noted for formative work on brush turkeys. Darryl came to Queensland in the 70s to study at Griffith University, and couldn’t find any brush turkeys nearby so travelled to Lamington National Park for his research.
So every day I gently navigated this male turkey and its mound I couldn’t help but be perplexed.
No brush turkeys in Brisbane? Hilarious.
It turns out, a lot has changed since the 70s.

Part memoir, part story, part research findings. Humour, grim truth, and a beautiful appreciation for nature. There is also a wonderful recognition for everyone Darryl worked with and learned from along the way.

A book that inspires curiosity, is enjoyable, and connects you with place.

[Freya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid read but so many typos. More than any book I can recall.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darryl Jones has written a very fine work offering great insight and research on a very significant subject; Wildlife and people interaction. The fascination people have with birds is most telling and the reasons why some people love them, or only some species and not others, and why others despise them are investigated well. All friends and admirers of nature will enjoy reading this book. (Impressive sense of humour and writing style from a person schooled principally in ecology.)

[Sharna Bourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book to gain an appreciation of the native birds thriving in the cities

[Chris Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

The preface to Darryl Jones's latest book asks us to believe a young Queensland police constable ordered Jones to go to West End police station to be formally interviewed by a stern-faced sergeant. Why? Because Jones stopped his car unexpectedly on Vulture Street - a busy suburban road - to let a family of bush stone-curlews cross safely from a private garden on one side of the road to a park on the other.

Are Queensland police constables really so brutally authoritarian yet so unable to issue a warning, a police summons or a fixed penalty notice to a motorist they believe has obstructed other traffic and created a hazard?

Are Queensland university professors really so submissive that they'll put up with being ordered to go to a police station where - several HOURS after the incident - they are formally interviewed by a stern-faced police sergeant?

Do stern-faced Queensland police sergeants really say things like: "Constable, see the gentleman out. Miller, get on to that woman from the Council. They'll need to put up a sign."

If, like me, other readers don't believe the story, there's a problem, because we're still only on page 3.

Before I got to page 3, I noted that the book's jacket is dreadful. My copy came fresh from the publisher and it already looked shabby and scuffed. The bookseller in me instantly decided not to order any more copies for stock because if they don't look presentable in their first hour, how will they look after three months on the shelves?

Also before I got to page 3, I looked at the acknowledgments, to see if anyone I knew had been thanked. On page 32o the author says he received "inexplicable support and encouragement from several key people: Phillipa Guinness, then my publisher at NewSouth"? What's the problem with this? Curlews On Vulture Street is published by NewSouth. Phillipa McGuinness (notice the Mc) was the publisher at NewSouth from 2004 to 2020 and I believe she worked in a less senior role at the press for longer than that. If NewSouth's editors can't fact check and correct a misspelling of McGuinness's name, what are the chances that other mistakes have slipped through the net?

Maybe this will come good.

FWIW, I think Darryl Jones's other books are terrific. I especially like his book "Feeding The Birds At Your Table". I've quoted from it again and again in arguments between sanctimonious bullies and ordinary, decent, humble, wildlife enthusiasts who get immense pleasure from giving lorikeets and magpies a small supplementary feed.

[Marie Olivier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guys this book is adorable and y’all know I’m scared of birds.

It’s written by an ornithologist and professor at Griffith (in Bris) and it details his lifelong fascination with Australian birds and how they interact with their urban environment.

This guy bloody loves his job (who else is spending their summer in a hidey hole watching bush turkeys?) and his appreciation for Australian wildlife was infectious.

Some fun fact highlights
- male bush turkeys build mounds to keep their eggs warm in
- rainbow lorikeets have bad night vision so will roost near grandstands/shopping centres
- if a swooping magpie is removed, a new male will take over the territory and feed the babies !!
- birds will only ever get around a third of their food from bird feeders - and for many people it’s how they make amends for how humanity has hurt nature.

I will rattle off a million more to anyone who asks.

I started reading this on a train to Dublin and it had me grinning and tearing up with a sick yearning for home. I finished it on a night solo camping in the forest (and I cried again). A gentle and happy reading.

[Liora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. So easy to read and a beautiful journey for bird lovers, into the worlds of our native wildlife

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

So freaking delightful. Laughed out loud multiple times at birds’ antics and humans’ attempts to understand them. Beautifully written, and informative.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a charming and life changing book. Chosen by the book club, I came to this book with scepticism. But soon, I found myself captivated by Darryl Jones’ story of falling in love with birds and science. I learnt so much about bird intelligence and behaviour. It changed the way I see, or rather, made me see the birds around me. The large bush turkey nest in my yard is no longer a frustration but a fascination for me. The book also has a lovely message about the legacy generous people, like Darryl’s friend and mentor Ric, leave through finding a positive purpose in life and sharing it with others.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a book I would have ever picked up if not for book club. It was a good book. Fascinating, actually. I learned lots. And it was cool because it all took place right where we are living! I also got a bit nostalgic with all the QPWS talk and I think I even remember the name Ric Nattrass from the time I spent working with the EPA ...

Anyway ... I'm glad I read this book.

[Kym Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable memoir about a life spent studying birds, this book contains many fascinating facts and stories about urbanised birds and their interactions with humans and the urban environment.

Recommended.

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a marvellous book! I finished it a while back but held off on reviewing it, because I didn't think I could do it justice; I probably still can't, but here goes.

I bought it because I wanted to learn about the Curlews (I adore Stone Curlews) on Vulture st in Brisbane, an area I know pretty well. I had also noticed Curlews turning up (and sometimes disappearing) in other urban areas and hoped to learn more. I got my wish in spades!

It is not just Curlews, it is magpies and why they swoop, it is bush turkeys and how they mound build and WHY there are suddenly so many in urban areas. There is a lot about wild birds moving into urban areas and I was always going to find that fascinating and relevant. I have lived in Queensland a long time and lived in Brisbane for a while too, after all.

The thing I was not expecting and which DELIGHTED me was how readable this book was! It was a pure delight to read, it has all the humour and light-heartedness of the best of Australian writing and the really good Australian authors (It often reminded me a lot, stylistically, of Boy Swallows Universe). You don't have to like birds to love the stories of the author growing up in rural Australia, falling into a university degree (the first in his family to go, one gathers). The humour is laugh out loud, often self depreciating and light-hearted. The views it gives on Brisbane should be enjoyed by anyone who has lived there.

I especially loved the birds, wildlife and quick pics of university research. Urban ecology, not even a thing when I studied, was made to sound much less stressful that I am sure it was. This also ticked the box of bringing back memories of university honours in zoology.

Wonderful book! Have recommended it to two other people, both of whom loved it.

[Susan C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cue the program release for the 2024 Brisbane Writers Festival - listed for Sunday 1PM, Darryl Jones: Getting to Know the Birds in Your Neighbourhood. Sounds interesting, I quite enjoy watching the birds that I see in my suburban neighbourhood. I want to know more, I suppose I ought to read his book/s before the festival and found I this one on the shelf in my local library.

Wow what a fantastic book! Written more in memoir style, the initial chapters could easily be classified as 'how he got here' - how he became an advocate for those birds we often find annoying in our urban and suburban areas. If you live in South East Queensland you will easily recognise the Brush Turkeys, the Magpies, the Ibis, the Lorikeets, as well as the Curlews in the title of the book. Dr Jones has injected a lot of self-depreciation and humour in this book.

I often found myself laughing out loud or reading sections to my husband that I found funny or illuminating. Its through this humor I began to understand those bird species that are often considered 'a pest' because they disrupt our lifestyle - the scrubby who will diligently scrape up all our freshly laid mulch to build his nest, the maggie who swoops at unsuspecting 'victims' in the local park, the noisy lorries in the Norfolk Pines at Burleigh, are actually reacting to and sometimes taking advantage of the impact of humans on their environment. It gave me a lot to think about and a better understanding.

The book does not preach, but instead anecdotally tells the story of the research that has gone in to understand better the behaviour of the birds. Dr Jones is careful to give credit to those who have assisted, and sometimes lead in that research.

After reading this book, I am even more looking forward to his session at the Writers Festival. I think it's going to be a memorable one.

[Noah Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a brilliant book, i’ve pretty exclusively read fiction for a few years but this was a beautifully written book about urban ecology. it felt scientific without being too formal which was absolutely perfect for me

i think living in brisbane and having so much familiarity or knowledge of the species and locations referred to in this book made this so much more enjoyable for me.

i feel like i really learnt a lot about birds and nature in general through reading this and am so glad i read it. my dad apparently listened to darryl at a uni lecture in the early 90s and raved about him so excited to see a book he had published. tough that i stole it before he could read it will give it back now i guess.

lovely lovely book, very informative but captivating in the same breath. darryl wrote beautifully, few silly spelling errors but who cares. book was excellent would recommend for anyone in SEQ or anyone in general

[Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book wasn't what I expected at all. The whole book, really, covers the author's journey of learning about and researching birds. We start with his childhood growing up on a farm, continue through his university experience and subsequent research projects, before following his career as a researcher through various jobs and projects. Along the way there are various birds and interesting research discoveries, it just wasn't the narrative structure I'd expected.

I actually really enjoyed reading about his journey, especially the university parts, I was just surprised it wasn't more about birds adapting to urban environments. The second half *was* more about that, and while I found it interesting, I found the writing (and editing) to be a lot weaker in that part of the book, unfortunately.

But overall I learned plenty and I enjoyed the book.

[Ariel Marguin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book cos Darryl and his mates seemed to so much enjoy investigating allsorts of birds and their habits and habitats in cities and towns..Only thing - can't recall if he said much about the magpies sense of humour ..I'm pretty sure crows have it too..they love to play games with each other and with dogs..so so we found when we had them (dogs I mean..) incidentally magpies are nesting within this strange enclave of Meritonia!! hope the fledglings can make it out!

Forgot to say i loved the illustrations

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, readable book

I loved this book about Australian birds, people and their intersecting lives. It was very well written, easy to read, descriptive and funny at times too. A good read about the research behind our more common birds and it was also very interesting to read the results. Good to see that people are becoming more aware and concerned about the birds around them.

[Ben Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous story, very easy to read. Great story telling. I saw Darryl at the 2024 Brisbane writers festival and found him fascinating, just a great Australian story teller and his book didn’t disappoint. Can recommend if you are interested in Australian natural history, ecology and the role of humans in the urban/ natural interface!

[Glen Baum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant!

Everyone should be made to read books like this one! I have learned so much about the birds and their habits and their habitats. Loved it, highly recommend it and it’s also very funny!

[Denita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fascinating read as the author takes us through his life in connection with birds & wildlife. I have learnt so much more on these birds with his style of writing than I would from any other material.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining book about urban birds in Australia and how people interact with them. There are a series of anecdotes (and a list of articles at the back of the book if you want to read the scientific papers).

[Laura P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet book that fuelled my love for urban birds and their clever ways of successfully cohabiting with us big scary humans in our harsh cities. Darryl is a brilliant storyteller and I adored reading about his discoveries in my own home town!

[Pam Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book on the behaviour of Australian birds. Jones's chatty style enables readers to learn lots but not be overwhelmed by the scientific terms and language. I want to read more by this author!

[Robyn Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. Intriguing. People and birds. They shape our lives and we shape theirs. Stories about lorikeets, curlews, crows, brush turkeys. Humans and their bird feeding habits. It’s all connected. Thanks for your enthusiasm Darryl. :)

[Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting and engaging book about urban Australian bird life - mainly brush turkeys, ibis, magpies and crows. But many other birds get a mention. I just wish it had touched upon my beloved pigeons!

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book and it was interesting to find that it was work by Darryl Jones and his students that has clarified a number of different puzzles about our urban birds, including swooping Magpies and the vexed question of feeding wild birds.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally compelling memoir from start to end, will tickle and thrill you with the unexpected behaviours of urban birds and the humans interacting with them.

[Katie Fotheringham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Briscore 🥹

[Pegaunimoose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would love Darryl jones to be my best friend

[Saturday's Child · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darryl Jones shares some interesting insights into how birds and people interact especially the city dwellers. Our wildlife never ceases to amaze me.