SBA #7: Sacred Bin Chicken!?
The cache is the 7th of 9 caches placed within this special place - regarded by birders as the one of the best birding sites in the Western Cape. Thanks are due to the Supervisor of the False Bay Nature Reserve for kind permission to places caches here.
The cache, a flip-topped tablet pot, is hidden on the edge of Pan 2 where a huge group of these unmistakeable large pied long-beaked birds were located. In some parts of the world (and particularly with a sister species, the Australian white ibis) they have become totally urbanised and love to raid waste bins - hence the nicknames bin chicken, dumpster chook and rubbish raptor!
To reach the cache location:
a) To reach the centre starting point of SBA: use the waypointsforGC846D9 Strandfontein Birding Area #1: Bird Info Centreto reach the multi-junction at the hub of the spokes of tracks leading between the pans. Then proceed with b) or c) as desired.
b) Direct from the Information Centre: head straight across here (ie. 3rd exit coming from the SBA entrance gate) heading south-west between P2 & P3 past the location of GC846EV_SBA#9: Spur-winged Goose to the junction @ S 34 05.173 E 18 30.405. Turn right here and continue to the cache location.
c) Continuing the cache sequence: from GC846E9 SBA#6: Black & White Stilt - Pied Elegance continue heading northwest/north around the track to the cache location
The African sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) is a wading bird of the family Threskiornithidae native to Africa and the Middle East. It is especially known for its role in the religion of the Ancient Egyptians, where it was linked to the god Thoth.
It is 68-75cm long, weighs 1.3-1.5kg and has a wingspan of 112-120 cm.
It is an intra-African migrant, making nomadic or partially migratory movements of several hundred km to breed during the rains. Populations north of the equator migrate northwards and those south of the equator migrate southwards, both groups returning towards the equator at the end of the breeding season.
Some populations (eg. in southern Africa - such as the one at Strandfontein) may also be sedentary. It starts to breed during or shortly after the rains, although in flooded areas it also breeds during the dry season, usually nesting in large mixed-species colonies of 50-2,000 pairs.
It is a very gregarious species, often flying more than 30 km away from the colony to feed. The species also 
roosts nightly in large numbers at breeding sites, on islets in rivers or flood-lands, on trees near dams, or in villages.
It mainly inhabits the margins of inland freshwater wetlands, sewage works, saltpans, farm dams, rivers in open forest, grasslands, and cultivated fields, as well as coastal lagoons, intertidal areas, offshore islands and mangroves (especially in the dry season). It may also occur in more human environments such as farmyards, abattoirs and refuse dumps on the outskirts of towns - see Planet Bin Chickenfor an amusing video on sacred ibis foraging in urban waste bins - or 'dumpster diving'.
Its diet consists largely of insects including grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, and aquatic beetles, although it will also take crustaceans, worms, molluscs, fish, frogs, lizards, small mammals, the eggs of Great White Pelican and crocodiles, nestling Cape Cormorants, carrion, offal and seeds.
The female ibis builds a fairly large nest in a tree or bush or on the ground on rocky islands using the sticks, leaves and grasses that the male collects. The female lays 2-5 five dull-white eggs which each parent take turns to incubate for 28 days while the other looks for food. The young continue to be cared for by both parents until they fledge at 39-45 days old. Sexual maturity is reached at 4-5 years old. Thereafter, breeding pairs only stay together for one mating season. Lifespan is around 20 years.
This bird uses varied vocalisations, such as croaking barks used in flight, as well as squeaks and more melodic sounds. Unlike the related hadeda (ibis), it is generally a quiet bird. Listen here to a begging call from a chick.
See here for comprehensive information on this fascinating bird including its connection with ancient myths and legends. See here for a fascinating article on its invasion of Europe!
See here for a video of the bird busy foraging along the edge of a water body, here doing a crazy bath dance.