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People
come up with some nonsense ideas. Actually there is little wrong with the
occasional nonsense idea but to carry it through beyond the first minute
thereafter ........ Do they really think all Australian birds have long, curved bills. Maybe that will stretch Geoffrey's skills at
finding a photo (genuine unaltered of course) to comment on that
conundrum.
Philip
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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