canberrabirds

White Ibis nesting high in trees.

To: "Denis Wilson" <>, "COG bird discussions" <>
Subject: White Ibis nesting high in trees.
From: "Clifton" <>
Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2007 22:30:41 +1100
Macs Reef Rd tip is only a short distance from this site but I'm not sure if it is still in use.
 
Graeme Clifton
 
From:
To:
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 10:06 PM
Subject: [canberrabirds] White Ibis nesting high in trees.

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
 
 
Love to Grow: Grow to Love


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