Where have all the ibis gone?

Where have all the ibis gone?

We used to have wonderful flocks of ibis here. The same ones used to come every year. I know, because one had a bad leg, and I would recognise him.

Then, about 10 years ago, the ibis all suddenly disappeared, and have yet to return. They all died out. Apparently it was due to a poison--an agricultural chemical used in the cotton-growing regions of NSW, hundreds of miles away--which killed off the ibis in very great number. An environmental disaster, basically.

I've not had an ibis in my yard for years and years, now. They'd get around, all day, busily picking up snails in their beaks; and then smashing them on the ground, to soften them; and then swallowing them. This was the ibis' home. Such beautiful, graceful and elegant birds. All gone now. A terrible tragedy. I don't suppose the long drought has helped them to recover, either.

I wonder if I'll ever see an ibis here again?