birding-aus

Re: birds in inner Melbourne

To:
Subject: Re: birds in inner Melbourne
From: "Merrilyn Serong" <>
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 1998 21:40:11 -0700

 wrote:

> I am an artist & design academic developing an (unusual?) artwork for
> the Melbourne Festival (mid October to early November) which will
> involve the making of a large sculpture with approximately 750kilos of
> bird seed (something like a giant birdy-bell).  It will be placed on grass at
> the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets to be slowly (or quickly)
> eaten away over the three week duration of the festival.  I expect it will
> easily attract a lot of pigeons, and probably a bit of media attention.   I
> plan to make a time elapse film capturing the birds eating away the
> sculpture.
>
> Interestingly enough I notice that Birds Australia ?Bird Week? coincides
> with the festival.
>
> I have a few queries which I hope readers of this list may be able to assist
> me with, or be able to direct me further.
>
> 1.  I would like the sculpture to attract a range of birds if possible ?
> particularly indigenous birds.  I plan to use a variety of seed ? pannicum,
> millet, milo / sorghum, wheat and sunflower.  What birds do you think I
> might expect to attract?   Any suggestions on how I might get the
> pigeons to move aside and best attract indigenous birds (eg those
> migrating at the time?)
>
> I   believe that it is standard practice for birdy-bell manufacturers to use
>     a diluted PVA glue (standard wood-working or craft glue) to bind
>     together seed into larger shapes (casein for smaller shapes).  I am
>     told that the PVA on the husk ?goes through as roughage?, or some
>     birds eat only the seed kernal after de-husking it.  Can you offer - or
>     advise me as to how I might  gain ? confirmation that PVA (poly-vinyl-
>     acetate) will not have negative effects on birds who may encounter
>     it.   I beleive it is the chloride in Vinyl (ie PVC - poly-vinyl-choride)
>     which is the risk.
>
> Thanks for your time, and hope you may be able to assist me.
>
> _________________________________
>
>
>

  Leaving aside problems associated with feeding birds (addressed by Ian Temby),
a non-toxic edible glue that would be preferable to PVA is starch dextrin glue
which is used by bookbinders.  I enquired about it a year ago and Nordale in 
West
Heidelberg (phone 9459 5211) will sell a minimum of 20 litres.  For smaller
amounts (not that you would want a small amount for your project) you could try
contacting a bookbinder such as Trio Bookbinders in Huntingdale (phone 9544
5611).

Hope that helps,

Merrilyn Serong


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