A pair of White-faced Herons have successfully raised five chicks near Coogoorah Park. The breeding saga began in November last year when Rob and Margaret Howden noticed the adult birds constructing a spindly nest in a eucalypt beside their house. From mid-November to the end of January, the Howdens monitored the progress from five blue eggs to five hungry fledglings.

White-faced Herons

The White-faced Heron is widespread in Australia and also found in New Zealand, Indonesia and New Caledonia. Although its numbers have declined in recent decades, its international conservation status is of Least Concern – not surprising given the breeding success of the Anglesea pair.

You can read a week-by-week account of the raising of the Howden chicks, in the autumn issue of Angair Quarterly.

Ann Feilding
Picture: John Lenagan