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Saw a group of about ten spine tailed swifts this
morning about twenty five kilometres SSE of Tamworth over open
paddocks. Light overcast conditions.
Also, in the sparrow discussion, I note that
the lack of insects for young ones to eat is mentioned as a possible reason for
their decline. I have brought this up before in relation to the
diminishing number of small bush birds in Australia, although it hasn't been
picked up by others as an interesting thread to discuss.
There is no doubt at our place that there are less
insects around in the summer, especially those little ones that used to always
come through screens to the lights on a summer's night.
Maybe this is because of the prolonged dry times,
but agricultural and domestic use of chemicals must have a fair bit to do with
it. A lot of people put most of the blame on feral cats and farmers,
but I wonder how many of you are contributing by your own use of
chemicals? For example
- Do you often spray your vege garden or your
roses?
- Does your local authority fog swamps to kill
mosquitoes?
- Do you have your house sprayed for spiders
etc.?
All these things are only small on their own, but
they must contribute to a dwindling food resource for insectivorous
birds.
Something to think about?
Annabel
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