IT is just two more sleeps until Christmas.
Down under, that is here in Australia, it is summer. Right along the east coast the weather is usually warm, often sunny, and it’s a time when extended families enjoy picnics and barbeques together outside.
A native Australian bird, the Australian White Ibis, Threskiornis spinicollis, has learnt to take advantage of this feasting and can often be found perched on the edge of these gatherings waiting for the opportunity to swoop through – once collecting a large piece of quiche from my plastic plate.
Interestingly the Australian White Ibis were once considered something of a novelty in Australia’s cities. Indeed less than 10 years ago breeding colonies were encouraged including at Lake Gillawarna – an artificial wetland in Bankstown in western Sydney. This lake is now home to the largest nesting colony in eastern NSW and possibly the entire state.
The colony was established in 2001 with five nests, by 2002 there were 120 nests and by 2003 the colony boasted 860 nests.
But, by 2004, the residents of Bankstown were fed-up – and the local city council developed a management plan to try and reduce numbers. The management plan went as far as the pruning of horizontal branches of Coral trees and Casuarina to limit the birds nesting opportunities.
I can only conclude that we really are a fickle lot – loving the Australian White Ibis only as long as it is somewhat contained.
If there is any message in this little story, just two sleeps before Christmas, it is perhaps be careful what you wish for!
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The picture of an Australian White Ibis in Redfern, inner city Sydney, was taken by Jennifer Marohasy in November 2008.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
I don’t know what part of the east coast you are in Jennifer but in Victoria it is definitly not unusually warm in fact it is unsually mild for this time of year the max on the 23/12 was only 23.
Hi Bronson, My post doesn’t use the word “unusually”. I’m at the Sunshine Coast – in SE Queensland – and it is warm and sunny. It’s usually warm and sunny at this time of year along the east coast of Australia.
Yes Jen, when I was young [groan] they were considered rare but today, like the crow, they are to some a mobile weed.
Yesterday I sailed my dinghy across to South Straddie which is a beautiful place and richly endowed with diverse wildlife including such birds as Bush Stone Curlews, Olive Backed Orioles, Tawny Frogmouths, Rainbow Bee Eaters etc [plus an odd spangled drongo] but all there was to be seen and heard were raucous crows being fed by the rubbish of the big influx of Christmas campers. I reckon they just followed the kids from school.
Another plague from too much “wishing for” is the Rainbow Lorrikeet.
These are some of the most enduring of all life forms and like the cockroach will probably be around long after we disappear.
Lets hope Santa doesn’t really live at the north pole as he is soon to have wet feet – http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/images/daily_images/N_timeseries.png – with sea ice the lowest ever recorded for this time of year in the Arctic.
Lets also hope the new year brings a little more fact based science to this blog.
spangled drongo, I’ve concluded that the Rainbow Lorikeet is coloured not to be beautiful, but to be scary! They drive off every bird I have which includes, a family of king parrots, a dozen galahs, scaly breasted lorikeets (very friendly little fellers), western grey butcher birds, a family of Kookaburras and of course the crested pigeons.
I think there might be a relationship between the plethora of birds and non existent mobile phone reception 🙂
Season’s Greatings from Sweden ( without snow) :
http://annimal.bloggsida.se/diverse/ann-wishes-happy-x-mas
White Ibises aren’t call “Dump Chooks” for nothing.
As far as Arctic sea ice is concerned – from NSIDC:
The period of very rapid increase in ice extent that characterized October and early November has ended. The rise in ice extent through the remainder of November and early December has been much slower. The daily rate of ice growth has slowed simply because there is less physical room for ice to grow: the area of open water shrinks as ice fills it.
Also, Mark Serreze comments to Pielke Sr:
“We’ve been getting a lot of questions about this. We are quite certain that the almost complete lack of increase in ice extent since about December 10 is real. Satellite-derived ice extent from the SSM/I (Special Sensor Microwaver/Imager) used to create the time series on our website was checked against extent based on the AMSR (Advanced Microwave Sounding Radiometer) instrument. AMSR shows the same pattern. This gives us independent confirmation. The past 10 days has seen a very unusual atmospheric pattern. It has been very warm over the Arctic Ocean, and wind patterns have favored a compact ice cover. While the lack of increase in ice extent is certainly quite unusual as well as interesting, we would not read too much into it right now, at it is just weather. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next week. [The] issue with Chapman’s site, apparently, is that they are looking at area (concentration weighted) versus extent (part of ocean covered with ice with at least 15% concentration) The compaction that seems to be going on could give a flat line in extent but still a rise in area. In other words, the issue may be that we are looking at two different measures of ice conditions. Also, it’t not clear (I’ll have to check) how current Chapman’s data are. We had a delay in posting for awhile because of some data dropouts. “
If Santa was 12,000 years old, he have a chance of getting his feet wet for possibly the 4th time during the Holocene.
David,
I see your uncontextualised disinformation and raise you another one.
care to comment?
http://www.ijis.iarc.uaf.edu/seaice/extent/AMSRE_Sea_Ice_Extent.png
And then Paul goes and contextualises between browser refreshes.
Thanks
Great Post. Aussies love their critters – as long as they stay in their place. Overstaying guests are another matter. Skimmed through the Management Plan. Loved the bit about a public education program – in the hope that the public might be persuaded to better tolerate the birds.
Anyway, what’s wrong with dump chooks? They are just recycling, aren’t they? Cost efficient, too…
Janama, not too many years ago the position of the Scaly Breasted and the Rainbow Lorrikeet were reversed and when the Rainbows became “fashionable”as a result of the Currumbin Bird Sanctuary, everyone started feeding them and they just irrupted. As their numbers build so does their confidence and aggression.
I’ll bet ACO2 and AGW are really causing it.
Great post, Jennifer. Aussies love their critters – in their place. Overstaying guests are anothe matter. Skimmed through the Management Plan. Like all such, the Plan is the to-do llist. The rest is just lead up. Loved the bit about educating the public – to hopefully learn to better tolerate the birds.
Anyway, what’s wrong with dump chooks? Just another form of recycling. Cost efficent too…
DMS – your graph merely shows that this year is now the worst of a bad lot.
Paul – unless the continents have moved since last year your points has no substance. RE 12,000 years ago – any chance of showing us the map, or do we simply believe you.
Perhaps a second resolution for next year is that we stop denying FACT.
At least one fact is established – wildlife seems to have the ability to adapt very quickly as the Ibis example here shows, and its what, an adpative period less than a climate period?
But calling them dump chooks – hmm, over in the West they have not reached that status, yet.
“Perhaps a second resolution for next year is that we stop denying FACT.”
well – Please stop denying this FACT
http://users.tpg.com.au/johnsay1/Stuff/sea_ice.jpg
Arctic sea ice area = lowest on record
Arctic sea ice volume = lowest on record
Antarctic sea ice area= less than last year
Antarctic sea ice volume = ?
Am I missing something?
Yes – you are missing how insignificant the changes are!!
Look at 1979 compared to 2008 – the variation from 30 years of YOUR global warming and it’s still around the same – may be slightly lower, hence your RECORD, but record what??
I might also add that the time period we are refering to is 30 years because that’s all the data we have!! We know that during the 40s the arctic ice was open to shipping so claiming Record! from 30 years of data is just downright BS.
Jennifer & others,
Your story about the White Ibis ended with
“If there is any message in this little story, just two sleeps before Christmas, it is perhaps be careful what you wish for!”
And, I view, the bird merely was to indicate the message of it.
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This is precisely what I am on about that as a CONSTITUTIONALIST I warn people that while they may support unconstitutional conduct by the government, such as the unconstitutional murderous invasion into Iraq, they better keep in mind that what goes around comes around and one day we ourselves can be subjected to such murderous invasion1
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I was poor once, that I couldn’t even afford to pay 50-cents for a bus fare and my little daughter and I had to drag suitcases for many kilometres.
That was decades ago but while I now am debt free and my wife and I have no mortgage we do always keep in mind there are many paupers and also many sleeping in the street.
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During WWII some 96 of my family members were killed and this too is why I pursue to avoid war and respect the right of life of every human being.
The moment we ignore the right of life and human decency of another human being we our selves one day can be facing the same.
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Regardless if Christmas is a religious day for a person or not we should use the opportunity to include all people, regardless of their race, religion, etc. As while I do not practice religion myself I do accept it is a period of festivity every human being is entitled to enjoy in his/her own way.
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With MAY JUSTICE ALWAYS PREVAIL® I have since 1982 a special lifeline service and time and again people calling me were not after money whatsoever but merely wanted someone to listen and possibly show an understanding. Often the difference of life and dead for a person contemplating suicide is if they can have someone listen to their grievances.
Not uncommon after a lengthy discussion with them I got responses such as “My life isn’t that bad after all.”. and this is how we can avoid many to commit suicide is by being willing to listen to fellow human beings.
Not to say I am “Too busy, talk to me another time.” But to be available when someone makes an attempt to talk to you.
It might be the greatest Christmas gift a person can gif to another human being and by this save the life of that other human being. It might even be that the fellow human being actually could be once own child, partner, parent, relative, friend, work colleague, etc.
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Christmas has no meaning in the world for a person who is all alone on the world. It can only have a meaning if it is celebrated in some form or another with another human being.
Lets therefore consider this and make an attempt to not being selfish what is best for each of us to get out of Christmas but rather to consider what is best to do for another human being.
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By doing so you might also find that without any religious overtone Christmas can be a pleasant event for others and it may just result that what goes around comes around and so you are in return rewarded with the friendship for having given a unselfish contribution towards another human being. After all, the saving of a life can be but nothing exceptional of those who otherwise would be desperate and consider suicide.
Also, for those living on the streets due to unfortunate circumstances at all times are and remain to be human beings and we can but only glad we are not in their shoes.
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As the Framers of the Constitution made clear that a person might be poor (pauper) due to circumstances beyond his/her control but that they can still be very valuable to contribute to society.
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If just we accept this and use Christmas festivities as a time not to feed ourselves that we are bulging at the seems, so to say, but to consider to involve others and particularly those in need.
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After all if we all have our wish that we seek to assist paupers, etc, then even if one of us ended up as a pauper we may already have created the condition that others may assist us then also.
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Keep in mind that many a person became a pauper, not because they didn’t save for, so to say, a rainy day, but because scrupulous business by their uncontrolled conduct caused investors to become paupers. Therefore no matter what (financial) riches a person may have we all have to keep in mind that we all can end up being a pauper!
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Therefore, regardless if Christmas is a religious time or not for each of us, lets make if a festivity for all humans and lets us all pursue to oppose the death of any person so never again will a government pursue a political motivated war that destroy so many lives, being it by death, injury or otherwise.
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This is the kind of Christmas celebration I like all to join in!
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Gerrit
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Mr. Gerrit hendrik Schorel-Hlavka
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(Author of books in the INSPECTOR-RIKATI® series)
24-12-2008
I don’t like Ibis.
25 years ago, I, & a couple of neighbours spent a lot of time establishing a number of different dung beatle colonies on our properties. We then put a lot of effort into spreading the more successful types through out our properties.
In the last 10 to 15 years they have been under attack from increasingly large flocks of these pests. Yes pests. Native species can be as bad pests as any feral.
Fortunately, on my place, I still decide which species will be protected, not some greenie, or polly, trying to buy the greenie vote.
I suppose you need your feral dung beetle to rid you of the dung from your feral cattle.
I like ibis in the country, when they are marching in line across a paddock, snaffling grasshoppers. However, I have driven past a swanky Perth suburban walled estate where they may not be so popular. A selling point for the estate was a number of lakes, some with paperbarks around them. One such lake, visible from the road, became an ibis nesting site, and all the swanky new surrounding roofs soon turned snow white with ibis guano. I have not been there for a while. Perhaps the ibis have been shot, or ‘relocated’. I wonder what the householders’ feelings are on real estate eco-advertisements? Will they vote green at the next election? I must get to work educating them.
OK David,
what’s this
http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/images/daily_images/S_timeseries.png
Oh, who to believe…. (or is that whom?)
This is all very confusing… I’ll just have to believe my own anecdotal observations and those other anectdotal global reports of cooling, combined with a 10-year non-cooling trend and call it even.
Bit of a worry this ETS (which will cause definite economic damage) to solve a potential problem (i.e. an issue for which there seems to be some uncertainty about). Well, as long as it helps the Polar Bears, I don’t mind losing my job.
Back to the thread – I actually like Ibis (Ibises, Ibi?) but they can be a bit annoying. Nice picture though Jen.
Hasbeen, I’ve found that Ibis are a good bell-wether for out of control eco-systems. When I have a fault in my enviro-cycle sewage system the first indicator is a white Ibis probing around my sewage sprinklers and aerating the wet soil. They seem to have a genius for fixing our mistakes.
Now when I see an Ibis in my yard I pay attention.
Jen, on a similar thread, I’ve often wondered if cattle egrets that use the cows to disturb grass dwellers are responsible in any way for the big reduction in our frog populations?
They’re another bird whose numbers have increased enormously in recent years.
A green frog recently decided that my laundry was “safe”, he/she sat there for days before reverting back to wild as it was about to rain, some how it was known.
Wild life appreciate our security and wish to share in it.
‘Arctic sea ice area = lowest on record
Arctic sea ice volume = lowest on record
Antarctic sea ice area= less than last year
Antarctic sea ice volume = ?
Am I missing something?”
Yes- Proof that it is solely due to the additional human caused carbon emmissions from the burning of fossil fuels.
Janama, it is a sure bet that most of the food you eat is “feral”, if it’s produced in Oz, as is most of the food, world wide. I’m afraid you will have to learn to like feral
I don’t have any cattle, just a few old horses, the point I was making was the explosion in numbers.
I have not liked Ibis, from 1968, when one tried to kill me. I was testing the yet to be released Holden Monaro, for the Holden dealers team, at Surfers Paradise raceway, & did a few laps in the 2.5L Oz F1 Brabham Repco, as I’d not raced it there yet.
I had just come under the Dunlop bridge, at about 155 miles/hour, when one decided to fly across in front of me. Fortunately it hit the front right upper wishbone, which must have accelerated him quite a bit. From that it smashed the little aero screen, bounced off the top of my helmet, cracking that, through the roll bar & air scoop, down onto the air screens, & all over the V of the V8.
I don’t like the smell of cooking Ibis either. For months, despite much cleaning, every time we started that engine, we were treated to the smell of that bird cooking.
Hasbeen, you’ve said it! We need the local version of Gordon Ramsey to develop a recipe so you will no longer be put off by the smell of Ibis cooking. I’m sure bay leaf and SA reds would dominate.
as far as the Brabham Repco – let’s not go there, it’s obviously your sacred ground.
Hasbeen
I have a problem with certain species designated as “pests” or “feral”.
If any introduced species suddenly proliferates, then it any other sense of the term, it is one species superbly adapted to the environment it was introduced to.
So donkeys, horses and camels, as well as dogs, cats and pigs, seem to have proliferated on continental Australia simply because, they can.
A proliferation of living things, not necessarily human, is bad?
And a proliferation of living species, as a carbon based lifeforms, emits CO2.
Except on Venus, (it’s too hot) and Mars, it’s got no O2.
But the benighted here believe, (they don’t think, because if they did, they would not), that CO2 is a pollutant.