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For interest I have copied below an extract from an
email that the COG office received the other day. Both Sandra
Henderson and I have replied to the email correcting the
mis-conceptions.
Chris
We are an
organization, Hills Conservation
> Network in Northern California,
that is trying to save as many
> healthy trees as possible. We live
in the area that burned in the
> 1991 Oakland/Berkeley Tunnel fire, and
most of us survived that fire.
>
> After the fire, the non-native
trees, especially the eucalyptus, in
> this area were scapegoated for
spreading the fire even though there
> were many causes--mostly involving
the incompetence of our local fire
> departments.
>
> Various
native-plant organizations in this part of California have
> reported
erroneously that eucalyptus flowers suffocate small-billed
> birds because
of the "gum" in their nectar. They say that Australian
> birds do not have
this problem because Australian birds have long,
> curved
bills.
>
> I have written an article about birds and eucalyptus that
attempts to
> disprove that idea. One point, of course, is that many
Australian
> birds have very small bills--and that is why I want to use
your photo
> of the weebill.
>
> I believe that the gum in the
term blue gum eucalyptus refers to the
> type of tree that it is, but
could you tell me: Is there any "gum" on
> euc flowers or leaves that
could suffocate birds?
>
Chris
24 Bardsley Place
Holt
ACT 2615
Tel: 02-62546324
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