There have been a few records recently on Birdline NSW of an Eastern Great Egret being observed along busy roadsides and in suburban front yards in southern Sydney. While White-faced Herons are well known to visit suburban yards it would appear to quite unusual for Great Egrets to be doing so. A few months back our next door neighbour asked whether I had seen the egret that had been visiting the grassy roadside out the front of his place. I asked whether he meant a White-faced Heron and he replied that it was an egret, a white bird. I thought maybe a Cattle Egret might be the suspect but a short time later I was watching and photographing an Eastern Great Egret foraging in our backyard. It should be noted that our backyard is heavily vegetated and would appear to provide very limited habitat for such a large waterbird. It has been a regular visitor to the yard and casually walks to the side fence takes a few flaps of the wings onto the dividing fence and then drops into our neighbour’s yard. Our neighbours like birds, luckily, so it is a most welcome visitor.
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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Following the heavy rain in Melbourne at the start of June, a Great Egret spent a few days “weeding” a public sports oval at Hays Paddock in Kew East. For some of the time it was accompanied by a White Faced Heron. They’d get chased away occasionally by dogs (it’s an off-leash park) but consistently came back, which shows there must have been good pickings there.
Bill
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Back in the 1960s in Victoria, Great Egrets were regular visitors to at least urban if not suburban gardens. I then lived in Frankston in a street with houses that backed on to a creek. A Great Egret systematically robbed every garden pond of its gold fish so wire cages were installed over them to protect the fish. The bird would sit on the front fences adjacent the pavement and would freeze rather than fly when people passed within a metre. I was intrigued by the number of people that walked by apparently without noticing it.
Mike Carter 30 Canadian Bay Road Mount Eliza VIC 3930 Tel (03) 9787 7136