Iridescent Feathers – the Straw Necked Ibis Returns
The Straw-Necked Ibis must have thought the food worth a return visit, for it was back again this morning. Still solitary, it was sharing the bounty with two ducks, two Corellas, a kookaburra and a flock of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos. My best guess is that there is some kind of burrowing larvae hatching at this time of year, but I don’t have the knowledge to even guess what that might be. Fodder for a future research project, perhaps!
What pleased me is that the Ibis was closer to the house than it was last night, so I was able to photograph it through the window without scaring it away. This time I was able to capture both the iridescent feathers and the straw-like feathers that adorn its neck and give the bird its name.
More details are provided in the photograph captions:
The iridescent nature of the feathers can be seen in the photographI love the pink sheen on the birds shoulders in this photograph. It also provides a better look at the head and neck.This profile again shows the iridescent feathersThe Ibis had a reasonably methodical way of searching for food, walking along in a straight line, turning and walking back in another straight line approximately 30 cm up from the first line.The straw-like feathers that give the bird its name can be seen on the neck in this photograph.Unlike the ducks yesterday, the Cockatoos were not so keen on sharing. They weren’t threatening, but would amble in front of the Ibis to head it off in another direction when it got too close to their patch of ground.Just some of the Cockatoos and Corellas competing for those tasty morsels in the ground.
Fifteen Acres 
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