birding-aus
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 13:08:01 +1000
From: Paul Peake <>
To:
Subject: Re: Birding-Aus Settings
G'day viewers,
Re the establishment of indigenous plants vs. exotics and introduced and
native birds, I offer the following observations. House and Tree Sparrows,
Song Thrush, and possibly Common Starling appear to have declined at
Blackburn Lake (small municipal sanctuary in eastern suburban Melbourne)
over the 23 years that I have been going there. Among a variety of
environmental changes in that time has been a gradual replacement of
non-indigenous plants with indigenous plants (thanks mostly to Friends of
Blackburn Lake, I think). In addition, House Sparrow at least, remains
conspicuously abundant in the suburban backyards immediately adjacent to
the sanctuary, where reestablishment of indigenous vegetation has generally
not occurred. If Common Blackbird, Spotted Turtledove or Common Mynah have
declined, it is not apparent from my counts (and, if they have declined,
they must have been pretty bloody abundant previously!). Also, a colony of
Bell Miners disappeared with the removal of the native but non-indigenous
Sweet Pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum) from the gully which they
inhabited. They too remain conspicuously abundant in the surrounding
residential areas.
Hope this is of interest to somebody!
Cheers,
Paul Peake
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