Denis
Well spotted. I will 'fess up. When you reported it on the chat line
earlier I was sceptical. To me this shows again that bird behaviour can
change and that we should keep an open mind. Maybe because of the
drought there were no good breeding wetlands.
Con
Denis Wilson wrote:
Hi COG listers.
On 18 October I posted a report
<http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/cgi-bin/mesg.cgi?a=canberrabirds&i=009701c8118e%24e95aa840%243a8d8690%40peonyden>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 <http://www.peonyden.blogspot.com>
*Love to Grow: Grow to Love*
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