The NSW NPWS national White Ibis (Sacvred Ibis) survey is on once again this year on Sunday 20th October 2013 and they need your help to compile statistics.
The survey is not limited to NSW but is Australia wide so spare a Sunday morning (best to do the survey around sunrise onwards before they take flight to feed) and check out these often despised but noble birds.
Go to the site: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/surveys/WhiteIbisSightingForm.htm
I had loads of fun last year doing the survey with just over 100 birds logged in three local locations...Raven
Did anyone else participate in the Ibis survey today? I did, my daughter and I were up just before 0500 and set off with note pads and binoculars to two known haunts of the Ibis gang.
You have to get up early before the actual sunrise to obtain accurate figures as the birds depart the roost for feeding grounds when the sun gets up around 0600 onwards (Sydney time).
We noticed a near doubling of last years local figures, nesting space was at a premium in three big palm trees, last year there was around four to six birds per palm tree, this year it was around eight to 12 in some cases. Lot's of juveniles noted too.
Over flow from the palm trees was accomodated in a neighbouring wide branched tree where the birds were roosted in great numbers, half the trees foilage was destroyed by their constant roosting. Oddly, there was no nesting in this tree, nests were in the large palms.
We are off to another known spot this evening to do the last of our counts for the survey.
I wasn't planning to take part in the survey because I knew I had other things planned but ...
while out doing 'other things' I came across a colony of White Ibis at Summer Hill/Lewisham and took some pics and did a count. I'd only seen them in parks before so it was a surprise to find them roosting in a palm tree.
My daughter is over here on holidays, she usually domicles in Mauritius and she raised an interesting question on why the birds name was changed from Sacred Ibis to White Ibis in Australia? Our older Australian bird books identify as Sacred Ibis whilst a recent one has White Ibis?
In ancient Egypt the Sacred Ibis is a respected bird and dates back thousands of years, "the inventor of script and keeper of wisdom" was one reference made to them.
There was an Ibis Cult in ancient Egypt too, at Saqqara with a temple dedicated to "Thoth The Ibis", mummified and embalmed Ibises were found there. Pity they have become a despised bird by many city dwellers.
I like that photo, so accurate, the Ibis seem to prefer certain palm trees as nesting sites, there is a reasonably large group of them in the palm trees down at Darling Harbour too.
Another bird that had a name change was the Indian Mynah to "Common Mynah", everyone I know (non birders) call them Indian Mynahs, local council even still calls them that. I wonder who in Australia decides to change a birds official name?
an interesting topic Raven
The Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis moluccus) is not the same species as the African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) and was originally misnamed and many continue this error
The Common Myna is the correct name as the original habitat extended beyond the borders of India, note also the different Myna spelling
The Masked Lapwing is commonly called Spurwing Plover but it is not a plover.
The Cockatiel was/is called Quarrion by many but cockatiel clearly better describes the species.
The White-faced Heron was called Blue Crane by many and it is not a crane.
As to who decides on names or name changes - that depends on which list you use.
The list I use is produced by the Birds Australia Rarities Committee
I seem to recall incorporating a 2012 update.
Peter