Warren Thompson and I travelled ‘down river’ from Grafton yesterday to check on
some of the Black-necked (Satin) Stork pairs that nest in the area. Before
heading down we drove a few kilometres west of South Grafton to Waterview where
we located the local Stork pair. The were standing at the edge of a small
wetland and showed their colours and markings beautifully in the morning sun.
I took a number of photos and they are probably the best that I have taken of
this species to date. Other waterbirds were also present including
White-necked and White-faced Herons, egrets and two Comb-crested Jacanas. We
haven’t recorded breeding by this Stork pair since 2001 so we reckon it is
about time they got their act together again to help perpetuate the species.
It is possible that the original pair have been replaced by younger birds but
even so an absence of breeding for 12 years is very unusual. Off to Swan Creek
and we found the adult male Stork standing on the nest high in a Forest Red
Gum. It flew to the edge of a wetland shortly after. The female was nowhere
to be seen. This pair had produced two young a couple of months ago but they
disappeared from the nest. Hopefully they will re-nest. Four Pink-eared
Ducks and 9 Hoary-headed Grebes were on the nearby wetlands. At Crowsnest
Swamp at Glenugie an adult Brolga was sitting on its nest while its mate
foraging some hundreds of metres away. Fifteen Glossy Ibis foraged nearby. Two
more Brolgas were foraging at the nearby Colletts Swamp and one was seen at
Ellis Swamp, near Tucabia. The Storks’ nest at Gilletts Ridge has two well
advanced nestlings and the adult pair were loafing on the ground nearby. The
adults took off and the male circled around and landed on the nest. The
nestlings began their begging behaviour but the male did not feed them. He
took off a few minutes later allowing me to get some reasonable photos of him
in flight. On the way to the nest we sighted a Forest Kingfisher at a site
where they usually visit each winter. We had to return home early so the other
nests will have to wait for a future trip. On the return journey we checked on
the Plumed Whistling-Ducks at Ulmarra counting in excess of 400. A Brown
Falcon at Lower Coldstream was a pale bird of the rufous morph, a bird usually
found inland, so possibly another inland bird visiting the coast at present.
Other interesting sighting included an adult Collared Sparrowhawk at South
Grafton and 100+ Plumed Whistling-Ducks north of Coutts Crossing and another
100+ at Waterview Heights. An Eastern Barn Owl roadkill was seen at Clarenza.
An adult Wedge-tailed Eagle was sitting low on its nest east of Ulmarra. This
was a relief as a man was believe to have fallen out of the nest tree recently
and ended up in Lismore Base Hospital.
Regards
Greg
Dr Greg. P. Clancy
Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide
| PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460
| 02 6649 3153 | 0429 601 960
http://www.gregclancyecologistguide.com
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