birding-aus

Insecticides

To: rob morris <>
Subject: Insecticides
From: Robin and Rupert Irwin <>
Date: Wed, 20 May 2020 10:19:11 +1000
Quite frightening, but certainly facts we should all be aware of in the more 
detail you have given.  

> On 20 May 2020, at 6:31 AM, rob morris <> wrote:
> 
> A couple of years ago I did some work for a legal related research defending 
> a strawberry grower.
> 
> The strawberry farm was upstream from a wetland where all the fish and most 
> the birds had suddenly died. The owner was upset and had call the council.
> 
> The local council tested the water and found 7 pesticides over allowable 
> environmental limits.
> 
> I sampled water across the site and the lab results confirmed the local 
> councils results - a very close match. One organophosphate you can use in 
> Auz, (banned in Europe and the USA) was over 1000x the allowable 
> environmental level). We also analysed the spraying records.
> 
> The results didn’t help defend the accused and we were asked not to send in 
> the report. 
> 
> What amazed me though was in a strawberry growing season the crop had over 
> 250 chemicals sprayed on to them. About 1/2 were chemical fertilisers etc and 
> the other 1/2 were fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, general pesticides. 
> 
> So when you buy those little punnets of strawberries on the cheap in Coles 
> and Woolies etc. be aware of the process to get them to you. It would be 
> similar for a lot of fruit and veg I’m told! 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 19 May 2020, at 12:06, Penny Brockman <> wrote:
>> 
>> Our rural town of Gloucester has ever since I moved here sprayed in town and 
>> along streets to kill weeds leaving behind a depressing dead mess that 
>> eventually is blown away or squashed into dust by vehicles. At the same time 
>> we still have a very healthy population of House Sparrows. There are 4 sites 
>> known to me where they breed one close to my house. So far so good.
>> 
>> However no doubt combined with herbicide and insecticide spraying , the 
>> disastrous effects of the fires which brought heavy smoke to the area 
>> December January has resulted in a serious decline here in small 
>> insectivorous woodland birds. I no longer count more than a couple of E 
>> Spinebills in the garden, Red/browed Finches, whistlers, thornbills, small 
>> honeyeaters were also seriously reduced in numbers and with winter coming 
>> on, we won’t see any change until spring. Along the river banks where native 
>> vegetation remains things are a bit better. These areas were refuges even 
>> when water levels were reduced to a few puddles of revolting green gunge. 
>> 
>> Many birds took refuge at the coast in unburnt areas. They didn’t return 
>> when the rains came mid January.  
>> 
>> The other notable effect of the extreme heat was the absence of flies- 
>> changed abruptly after the rains when they erupted. I’m told due partly to 
>> absence of dung beetles. 
>> 
>> --------------------
>> Penny Brockman
>> 
>>> On Tue, 19 May 2020, at 4:07 AM, Michael Hunter wrote:
>>> 
>>>    After an ornithologically sterile month traversing California, a 
>>> creeping realisation that Mulgoa Valley, once seething with small birds 
>>> now has far fewer, ditto Avoca on the NSW Central Coast, the penny 
>>> dropped.
>>> 
>>>     INSECTICIDES. are wiping out the base of the food chain in built 
>>> up and semi rural areas. 
>>> 
>>>      Not just for small birds, but all the way up to raptors like 
>>> Black shouldered Kites and falcons which include insects directly, and 
>>> indirectly via small reptiles which are largely insectivorous.  
>>> Honeyeaters eat insects in flowers as well as their nectar.
>>> 
>>>      A very obvious example has been the demise of House Sparrows 
>>> worldwide, although granivorous their young need animal protein, in the 
>>> form of insects, to develop. Those insects have largely gone due to 
>>> insecticides, House Sparrow sightings are now rare. My last single 
>>> sighting was in  Bunnings Gosford Nursery.  ? Significance ?
>>> 
>>>       Most Reptiles, most small Mammals, most Amphibians and most 
>>> Fish need insects.
>>> 
>>>         How many Councils spray entire suburbs  for Flies and 
>>> Mosquitos, unwittingly killing thousands of birds and reptiles.
>>> 
>>>        A giant problem. Any suggestions re a longterm solution.?
>>> 
>>> "Bring Back the Birds. Ban inorganic and long lasting Insecticides "
>>> 
>>> Hoping that this starts a longterm campaigns
>>> 
>>> Much more to come.
>>> 
>>> 
>>>             Michael
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
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