an observation about an artificial habitat for Hooded Robins [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

The quickest we can remove a majority
government from the ACT - that being October 18 - and elect representatives
from non-major parties on the cross-benches - The Greens - is also a factor
in the maintaining of habitat for woodland birds.  The ALP stand condemned
for the selling of the East O'Malley woodland for unnecessary urban development.
 The Liberal Party are cut from the same cloth and also subscribe
to an unsustainable future of endless 'economic growth' (that won't contain
Brown Treecreepers or others).

Regards

Matthew Frawley

Con Boekel <>

06/08/2008 03:49 PM

To
cc	COG list <>
Subject	Re: [canberrabirds] an observation about an artificial habitat for Hooded Robins
Reference
	Expires

Nicki

Much appreciated.

 From my perspective, sustainability in the ACT, in one of the 
wealthiest per capita jurisdictions in the world, should include 
maintaining populations of the woodland birds such as the Hooded Robin,
Brown Treecreeper and Speckled Warbler. If we can't manage it here, we
would be hypocritical to expect others to achieve sustainability 
elsewhere. The  Hooded Robin can therefore be seen as a test case
for 
our way of life in the ACT.

It is therefore especially heartening to understand from your study that
it is possible that the decline of one of affected woodland species can
be reversed through the efforts to regenerate suitable habitat. I take
two other messages from your note. The first is that we are not doing 
enough revegetation. The second is that we need to get on with it 
because efforts made now may take many years to have an impact on the 
rarer species.

regards

Con

 Nicki Taws wrote:
> Con
>
> As the author of the Greening Australia study of birds in reveg sites
> I can give you a bit more detail about Hooded Robins in the study.
>
> Yes, the more common birds found in reveg sites were the more common
> species in the landscape, both woodland species and open-country 
> species - hardly surprising. However the common woodland species 
> weren't necessarily common at the site where the reveg was established
> before it was planted - at least we now know that those woodland 
> species can move out of their remnant habitat and into newly 
> established habitat.
>
> Given how sparse the rarer woodland birds like Hooded Robin are in
the 
> landscape (and I think through your searchings you can testify to
> this) it is hardly surprising that we didn't find many HR in reveg
> sites. Even if totally suitable habitat is provided everywhere it's
> going to take a considerable amount of successful breeding and 
> dispersal for the HR to repopulate to become a common species, and
> reveg efforts are still a very small part of the landscape. The 
> encouraging thing is that some HRs (and other declining woodland 
> species) were found in reveg.
>
> They were found in a few of the the older reveg sites, ie ten years
> old. Possibly it takes this long for the site to develop suitable
> resources for the Robins, such as tall enough trees and shrubs, a
few 
> dead branches/twigs, fallen branches, a suitable ground layer of 
> litter, native plants etc. HRs need open space, and as you observed,
> short grass and bare ground for foraging, so reveg plantings need
to 
> incorporate some open space within the site to cater for these needs.
>
> The other answer to your question  'How can these plantings be
> improved to target the rarer
> woodland species that are in trouble?' is - create many many more
of 
> them.
>
> cheers
> Nicki Taws
>
> 02 6251 0303
> 0408 210 736