The first Cairns nests of the season were reported to PIPwatch during late September – congratulations and a big thank you to Brian, and thanks also to Dick for extra information.
Long-time PIPwatch champion Brian has now (end of first week of Oct) recorded a total of 10 nests around Cairns.
Has anyone else spotted new PIP nests elsewhere?
If you find a nest, please put in a Nest Report as soon as possible!
At Low Isles the first returning PIP was sighted on 14 August by the island’s Caretakers. There were still only small numbers of PIPs to be seen by the end of the month.
On 28 August the first PIPwatch report of the season came from Graham (thanks Graham!) who heard and then spotted a single PIP at the top of a tree in the Cairns suburb of Mooroobool.
North of Cairns there were a few earlier sightings recorded on Eremaea, not posted to PIPwatch. In most cases people saw only single birds. No one reported any large flocks.
The first PIPwatch report south of Cairns was on 30 August when Julia spotted two PIPs feeding high in palm trees on the Strand, Townsville.
Hello all PIPwatchers! Have any PIPs arrived in YOUR area yet?
PIPs should be returning to Queensland soon, after their short winter break in PNG.
Please report the first PIPs you see this season – just click here to put in your observation reports.
Small numbers of PIPs were still around in Cairns and Townsville during early April but the majority probably set off northwards during March, heading to PNG for their “winter break”.
By the middle of April very few PIPs were sighted and some observers confirmed they had seen none at all. The last observation reported to PIPwatch came from Jenny in Townsville on 14 April, accompanied by this lovely photo, thanks Jenny! Maybe the PIP was saying goodbye to those two pee-wees?
A Pied Imperial-pigeon nest was destroyed on 31 January when Council workers/contractors pruned a street tree (Ficus benjamina, photo above) on Pier Point Road. The nest was under observation by Brian who recorded the PIP parents were tending a small chick during late January. Their chick was too young to have survived the loss of its nest.
In November we reported another nest loss to pruning on Cairns Esplanade. Both pruning losses were noticed only by chance. How many more nests may have been lost due to pruning, without being recorded?
Pied Imperial-pigeons are not the only native birds at risk from careless pruning. Many other native species nest in Cairns street trees including Yellow Oriole, Figbird, Helmeted Friarbird, Peaceful Dove, Yellow Honeyeater and Fig-parrot.
If you care about survival of native birds in the Cairns area, please join us in asking Cairns Regional Council to raise awareness among their staff and contractors and ensure their pruning crews check carefully for nests before cutting trees.
To contact Cairns Regional Council: phone 07 4044 3326 or email feedback@cairns.qld.gov.au
Recently we spoke to Cairns Regional Council staff about avoiding non-urgent tree pruning during the PIP nesting season – see previous post. Council staff assured us that Council’s contractors always check for nests before pruning and postpone work if nests are present.
Reality appears different. The example below suggests Council’s contractors do NOT avoid pruning trees with active nests.
At the end of October Pied Imperial-pigeons were diligently brooding in the nest they had built in the centre of this tall palm on Cairns Esplanade. A few days later the birds had disappeared and the tree showed fresh pruning cuts, suggesting a disastrous event for this PIP family.
The palm pictured is one of many on the Cairns Esplanade that were pruned between the end of October and early November this year. No urgent need for pruning was apparent. Coconuts, where present, were in the early stages of development, too small to be hazardous to humans.
It is impossible to determine the number of eggs and chicks lost due to nesting birds being displaced by such pruning. Intensive PIP nesting was in progress and this time of year is also an important nesting period for many other birds.
PLEASE add your voice to ours and ask Cairns Regional Council to schedule tree pruning before and after the nesting season, NOT during this period.   Any naive belief in avoidance of trees with active nests is ineffective for protecting vulnerable birds.
To contact Cairns Regional Council: phone 07 4044 3326 or email feedback@cairns.qld.gov.au
PLEASE add your voice to ours and request Cairns Regional Council to schedule tree pruning outside the nesting season and to postpone any unavoidable tree removal until after the nesting season.
Phone 07 4044 3326 or email feedback@cairns.qld.gov.au
Cairns Council is planning to remove trees near the hospital (see photo of notice) and was apparently not aware that many Pied Imperial-Pigeons, also known as Torres Strait Pigeons, are currently breeding there.
Brian recorded at least 10 active PIP nests in the threatened trees at the beginning of November, therefore 10 or more PIP chicks could die if these nest trees are cut down in the near future.
Palms along the Esplanade have also been pruned very recently, presumably without knowledge of the risk to PIPs nesting in some of the palms and many other trees along the Esplanade.
Please express you concerns and ask the Council to schedule palm pruning and other routine tree maintenance outside the nesting season.
For years PIP nests were only infrequently spotted in Cairns, although the birds are commonly seen flying and foraging around the city each summer. Then during the summer of 2011-12 Brian and friends reported an unusual flurry of PIP nesting in the city rather late in the season. The same keen PIP team has started monitoring the Esplanade and part of the CBD again this year. The first six PIP nests in Cairns were reported at the end of September and several more were discovered during the first week of October thanks to Brian, Phil and Yu.
In Townsville the first PIP nest of the season was spotted by Jenny who sent in the photo above.
On 6 October Robyn and Beth reported they observed a PIP high up under the canopy of a flowering Poplar Gum in Western Lions Park at Heatley. The single bird was calling but no partner was observed. A bird, thought to be a Little Friar bird started harassing the PIP which shifted position but remained in the tree.
Beth and Robin plan to continue to monitor as they had been seeing PIPs in the park and the nearly Heatley State School grounds for about two weeks, but had not observed any mating or nesting behaviour as yet. Last year they noted a pair did nest in the Western Lions Park, above the BBQ area but they did not see any evidence of fledglings.
Has anyone seen PIPs starting to build nests anywhere else? Many more PIPwatchers are needed!