G'day again
OK so in the case of sw WA the Rainbow Lorikeets are not naturally
occurring - I assume they were either introduced or escaped from aviaries.
In this case I agree with you that they be regarded along with the ferals.
However in my case they occur in many of the forest areas around Hamilton
but the town has been isolated by farmland for 150 years from the forest
and the Rainbows have only just started coming in.
I don't think this is related to native tree planting in the city as our
garden plants are overwhelmingly non-native. It could be that the farm
tree-planting efforts which really began in the early 1980's are beginning
to pay off - or it could be that the last couple of dry years have forced
the birds to wander from the Grampians.
At this stage I would be pleased if the birds stayed and became a
significant part of Hamilton's avifauna. The only species they would
compete with for hollows would be Starlings and maybe Long-billed
Corellas/Galahs.
Cheers
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Stephen Clark
Agriculture Victoria, Pastoral & Veterinary Institute
Private Bag 105 HAMILTON 3300 Australia
Phone 0355 730 977 Fax 0355 711 523
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