The magpie geese are not captive. They choose to stay.
Meg and Billy, the brolgas, are captive. They have their wings clipped each year. Ripper (AKA “Little Rip”), the musk duck, hatched at Tidbinbilla about 1998, is a captive
bird. He’s pinioned. George and Mildred, the pelicans, are pinioned. Garfield, the little pied cormorant, is a captive bird. He is a rescue bird whose injured wing couldn’t be healed.
He can’t fly off.
There are also wild little pied cormorants at Tidbinbilla from time to time. To the casual observer, it may not be apparent whether a wild or captive little pied is being
viewed. A pair of unnamed-as-yet
freckled duck share the brolgas’ enclosure. Tidbinbilla received some young freckled duck for a “soft release”. The ducks’ wings were clipped, allowing them to settle in.
When the feathers regrew, they flew off. However, two of the freckled ducks were found to be pinioned. I understand It wasn’t the intention of Tidbinbilla to acquire pinioned freckled duck. It will be interesting to see if they produce offspring. They were
collecting nesting material a few months ago and taking it to the back of the pond, out of sight of visitors. No ducklings appeared.
John Bundock
0400249429
From: David McDonald (personal)
Sent: Wednesday, 22 March 2017 7:27 PM
To: CanberraBirds
Subject: [canberrabirds] Reporting captive birds at TNR and elsewhere (was Fwd: [eBird Alert] Australian Capital Territory Rare Bird Alert <daily>)
Greeting. eBird advises, at
http://help.ebird.org/customer/en/portal/articles/973921-what-data-are-appropriate-?b_id=1928&t=412380 :
'Do not report captive birds. You may report wild birds you see at outdoor zoos, but do not include caged birds, pinioned waterfowl, or birds that are part of the collection. As a general rule, birds at zoos that are not known to be wild should not be reported.'
Thanks - David
