White Ibis nesting high in trees.

["Denis Wilson" <>]

Hi COG listers.

 

On 18 October I posted a report about having glimpsed what looked like a group of White Ibis nesting high in Eucalypt trees above the Federal Highway about 1.5 km north.

There were no follow-up comments.

 

Well, today I was able to return south (from Robertson) and stopped for a quick look, (with camera in hand) - to check if I had been deluding myself. It is definitely what I thought.

 

The attached shots were taken from the road edge, as I did not have time to explore further, and get closer (I always seem to be racing down the highway, for appointments in Canberra, when I make this trip). I have several different images, and at maximum resolution I can just make out 7 birds in these 2 nests, some adults, some advanced young. There may be more. They were very active, moving positions, sitting, standing up, etc.

 

At first I assumed they had taken over an old Eagle's eyrie, but on closer examination, there is a smaller nest off to the side, which I assume has been built in an attempt to deal with over-crowding issues, or to create the feeling of a "colony".

 

I know these birds often nest in trees, especially around suitable wetlands in Sydney, where there is a population explosion occurring. Their preference in Sydney seems to be for Palm Trees as nesting sites.

 

In over 40 years of birding in Canberra I have never seen this nesting behaviour before.

However, what really puzzles me is the choice of this dry hillside, high above a Highway. A natural place for an Eagle's nest, not for Ibis, I would have thought.

 

The nest(s) are in a tall Eucalypt, above a deep road cutting/hillside bank, on the eastern side of the Federal highway, about 1.5 Km north from the Yass River crossing (itself just north of Mack's Reef Road). I know that the river cuts around the back of this hill, so the birds are closer to water than it might seem. But as far as I know there is no "swampland" anywhere near this location. The Yass River is just a typical Southern Tablelands creek, at this point, with a narrow, eroded creek gully, with a steep bank. Not what I would have thought of as Ibis habitat. There will be farm dams around, but again, not classic Ibis habitat.

 

Any comments, please?

 

Cheers

 

Denis Wilson
www.peonyden.blogspot.com

 

Love to Grow: Grow to Love

Attachment:

Attachment:

*******************************************************************************************************
This is the email announcement and discussion list of the Canberra 
Ornithologists Group.
List-Post: <>
List-Help: <>
List-Unsubscribe: <>
List-Subscribe: <>
List archive: <http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/canberrabirds>
List manager: David McDonald, email 
<>