Hello all,
One morning last year I was visiting Sydney Botanic Gardens and interrupted
my search for the Chestnut-banded Rail to have morning tea at the Cafeteria
near the duck pond. Across on the far side of the outside eating area a man
seated a little boy--toddler size-- at a table for two, placed a plate of
small sandwiches in front of him and went off to join the line at the drinks
counter. The child chose a sandwich and took a bite. From the nearby
shrubbery a rather dilapidated Australian White Ibis appeared, it stalked
over to the child's table, jumped up on the vacant chair, thence to the
table top and one by one the triangular- quartered sandwiches disappeared.
The small child sat frozen, his eyes big with amazement, his hand halfway to
his mouth. Having cleaned up the plate, the bird calmly took the half eaten
sandwich from the little boy's hand stepped down onto the chair then the
ground and strode off into the bushes from whence it had emerged. The child
sat looking at the empty plate. A few minutes later up walks the man
carrying a cup of tea and a glass of milk. I dont know what transpired, but
when I left they were both looking at the empty plate and the child was
waving his arms about
One could say that the bird's timing was impeccable.
Reg
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
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