A permanent colony of more than 190 Australian White Ibis have made the Central Gardens in Merrylands their home and according to a Draft Ibis Plan Of Management (POM) set to open for public comment this week, their increasing numbers are damaging casuarina trees surrounding the lake as well as affecting water quality.
The Draft POM reads: “If left unmanaged it is expected that the ibis population at this site will continue to cause further disruption to public activities in the park as the birds will encroach more on public space when foraging for food, particularly when there are large gatherings of people having a barbecue or picnic.”
It was one of several problem areas identified along with Holroyd Gardens and the town centres of Lidcombe, Auburn, Granville, Merrylands and Pemulwuy which all have smaller populations of the birds.
Happy to nest in trees and waterbodies across the city, the native birds have proven to be highly adaptable and resilient, with their willingness to use their long beaks to scavenge from bins earning them their ‘bin chicken’ nickname.
According to the report, higher numbers of the normally migratory wetlands birds have moved into the Sydney Basin over the past 60 years largely due to “drought, bushfires and changes to land use”.
While the birds are a protected native species, the council has previously applied for a temporary ‘Landholders Licence to Harm Protected Animals’ to remove eggs and destroy nests and the Draft POM outlines other actions to reduce the impact of ibis including putting up signs to discourage people from feeding the birds, increased street cleaning and restricting roosting opportunities.
