A Birds Eye View - Spoonbills and Egrets up a Tree

During the past month I have been watching Royal Spoonbills and then in April I also spotted three Great Egrets along with the three Royal Spoonbills, sitting up in the branches of a Norfolk Pine tree at Kingston. The favourite tree appears to be a smaller pine tree near the beautiful big old Norfolk pine next to Norfolk Island Government House. The Royal Spoonbills have also been seen up the old Norfolk Pine tree known as “Lone Pine”, at the far end of Emily Bay.

This peculiar sight is quite a site to see, and it has me reaching for my camera to capture images and messaging friends to let them know to keep an eye on the trees at Kingston.

The birds sit at the end of the branches, sometimes perched on one leg, they must be very good at balancing on those flimsy branches. Their favourite Norfolk Pine tree does not look very well and is in an area of the wetland which has been very wet and soggy during the recent wet seasons. This means there is not as much foliage and appears to make it easier for the birds to land and stretch their wings before flying away.

These birds’ normal habitat is down in the wetlands and swamp areas, where they feed in the shallow water ways. I have read that these birds do build nest in trees near wetlands and waterways, so even if we don’t normally see them up trees, they do use trees and bushes in breading habitats. During the past year there has been Royal Spoonbills on Norfolk Island, and last year, in May 2022, their numbers reached about twelve birds. In recent months there appears to be three Royal Spoonbills in the Kingston wetlands area. The Royal Spoonbills are beautiful large white birds with dark spoon shaped beaks, which could be described as black or navy blue in colour.

The Egrets visit Norfolk Island as vagrant visitors, and they are white with a yellow bill. I have normally seen Cattle Egrets, but with a closer look at the Egrets, the April 2023 visitors appear to be Great Egrets, they had a long straight yellow bill and are large and a long lanky neck which has a lovely S-curved shape as it flies or feeds in the wetland.

I am not an expert on identifying the vagrant visiting birds, but I enjoy photographing and sharing the images and learning about the birds. There is a Facebook page, “Norfolk Island Birds”, where images are regularly posted by tourists and locals. This is a

fantastic page to follow if you are interested in the Norfolk Island bird sightings and the wonderful images of Norfolk Island endemic birds. Local photographer Jolene Oliver regularly uploads her beautiful images on this page.

(3) Norfolk Island Birds | Facebook

When I see unusual birds, I always message Jolene Oliver and Margaret Christian. Margaret is the chairperson of the Norfolk Island Flora and Fauna Society, and she also takes bird tours on Norfolk Island, “Green Eyes Tour”. If you would like to book on her tour, contact the Norfolk Island Information Centre for details.

Here are internet links if you wish to read about the Royal Spoonbill or Great Egret

Royal Spoonbill - The Australian Museum

Great Egret - The Australian Museum

Great Egret Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

It has been a fun month watching these big white birds up the Norfolk pine trees. It has been suggested, “They don’t want to get their feet wet”. My thought is that they have been “watching the Norfolk Island Government House to see if the Administrator is moving out, and waiting to see who the new appointed Norfolk Island Administrator will be”. There must be a “Birds Eye View” from up high on the branches of the Norfolk Pine tree.

Betty Matthews

April 2023