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Hi Birders,
Erica Moret asked a number of questions about Reef
Egrets, particularly in relation to the dark and white morphs and their
occurrence around Australia. Many of the answers that she is looking for can be
found in HANZAB Volume 1 Ratities to Ducks pp1002-1009.
Generally speaking from NSW to the South-west of WA
and in New Zealand the birds are virtually all grey morphs, indeed there is no
location in NSW where white morphs can be regularly seen, and only 2 or 3
records of white birds in all. They nest singularly and they occur as scattered
pairs feeding on rocky points and inshore reefs. Once you get up onto the North
Queensland Coast and onto the Barrier Reefs, they occur in small flocks and nest
communally and are mostly white. While they occur on the NSW Central Coast and
can regularly be seen at Soldiers Point, Norah Head and the Toowoon Bay Reefs
and Bateau Bay, you can never be sure that you will see them when you visit
these locations. I have seen two nests in my life time on two NSW offshore
islands, but at North Head Sydney Harbour, and Munmorah SRA I have seen adults
with 2 dependent young each, in over 20 years of birdwatching!
Trying to locate a good place to film them may be
difficult.
Alan Morris
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