Movie: Ibis resort

Sand, sea and ibis? Well actually, it’s a puddle on the edge of a rubbish dump!

Rights:
© Australian Museum
Producer:
Cate Lowe

Transcript

The traditional breeding grounds of the Australian White Ibis in New South Wales were the inland swamps, such as the Macquarie Marshes.

With the loss and degradation of wetlands, associated with increasing diversion of water for agriculture, ibis are turning to novel habitats that meet their resource needs, often in urban areas.

This foraging site in Sydney’s west attracted 1455 ibis, some of whom (based on radio tracking studies) were commuting to their nestlings more than 20 kilometres away.

Such aggregations of native animals can be inspirational to urban dwellers who are prepared to put up with some of their less endearing qualities.

Dr Richard Major, Senior Research Scientist, Australian Museum

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1 comment

JohnM - 4.10 PM, 26 October 2011
Wow, great video! I really like how its starts with still art and morphs into reality and then the reality of where the bulk of the ibis population forage each day... On Sunday 30-10-11 (this Sunday) the NPWS are coordinating the State-wide community ibis survey across NSW, ACT, Qld and Victoria. Please see the below website and lend a hand: www.environment.nsw.gov.au/surveys/WhiteIbisSightingForm.htm.

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