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Paul
The nest is high (20 metres at a guess) in a dead
River Red Gum that stands in the waters of Gum Swamp.
Gum Swamp was originally an ephemeral wetland
that has been filled since the 1920's with water
from Forbes Sewage Treatment Plant. A levee bank holds the water at a more
or less continual depth for most of the year.
Because of this the many River Red Gums that remain
inundated have died. This gives Gum Swamp some of its values that we
appreciate today, namely; Good bird habitat with permanent water and
nesting sites and excellent photographic opportunities especially at dawn on
misty mornings and at sunset when the dead tree limbs against the sky give an
eerie feel to the area.
Gum Swamp is surrounded by a small area of drier
woodland which enables sightings of local woodland species as well as the
waterbirds.
The nest is visible from the ground at some
distance with the sky as background. The best views we have had are with a
spotting scope from the southern edge of the water. The Totally Wild crew
filmed the eagles and the nest from this spot.
Regards Steven and Gwen
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