Alexandra
The egret was tagged in the Macquarie Marshes, north central NSW. Egret +
blue tags = Intermediate Egret from the Macquarie Marshes. I contacted Ray
Jones, the Ranger for Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve, who did the
banding, and he informs me that it was this years young. I trained Ray in
the gentle art of tagging egrets several years ago.
The situation this past summer was an interesting one in the Marshes.
There was a big long flood, the first prolonged flood for many years. In
past years the tagged egrets have left the area soon after fledging because
of the drying out of the marshes. This year they stayed a lot longer
because of the long "tail" on the flood. Ray thinks that they would be a
lot stronger and thus better able to survive as a consequence. Also of
interest is the Magpie Goose situation. In the past, Ray is a long time
local, he has not seen Magpie Geese young get past the downy stage. This
year he has seen many flying juveniles. Again, he attributes this to the
long tail of the flood. As a result NPWS are starting to rethink their
water management in the area to try and get a longer flood in future.
Back to egrets. Several years ago, when we first tagged a good number of
Intermediates in the marshes, we had tagged birds reported from right up
the Queensland coast as well as in New Guinea. I expect the same will
happen this year. I am happy to act as a receiving point for reports of
tagged egrets.
Alexandra, could you please pass on Bob Murphy's contact details so Ray can
let him know the full details of where and when the bird was banded.
Thanks
David Geering
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