Yes, I don’t think these get the attention they deserve. The following points summarised here are all in the archive somewhere.
1. They are expanding into new areas, and multiplying.
2. Entry into Callum Brae was about 15 years ago (v small number at first, probably from Mt Mugga), with continuous expansion since then.
3. There is some evidence they don’t like a dense understorey. At Callum Brae and over the road on the Mt Mugga reserve they dominate open woodland but are absent from the thicker stuff. Note that at Campbell Park they like the car park but don’t invade the shrubby areas. They like golf courses, schoolyards.
4. They are very hard on small birds, much more than C Myna (if that’s any danger at all) - see ref in archive to Kris French’s work.
5. The related Bell Miner on south coast was seen as such a danger to eucalypts from exclusion of pardalotes etc. that an eradication experiment was approved, near Merimbula.
I expect many open woodland areas around Canberra will lose all their small birds, with subsequent dieback being quite likely.
From: Julian Robinson [
Sent: Wednesday, 2 May 2012 9:04 AM
To: canberrabirds chatline
Subject: [canberrabirds] Noisy Miners taking over
Things seem to be changing quickly regarding Noisy Miners in some parts. I reported what an interesting place ‘Nursery Corner’ is a couple of months ago with so many different interesting bush species around and breeding. I’ve been going to that patch for six years now and saw my first Miners there early this year, one miner inside the patch and two nesting just outside at different times.
But yesterday I was shocked to see Noisy Miners everywhere – that had taken over the whole patch and surrounds. I counted 36 departing two trees, but believe there could have been up to 60 in the area. It was quite amazing, I’ve never seen so many.
The only other birds there were rosellas, magpies, two starlings, four Crested Pigeons in a dead tree a bit out of the way, and two Grey Butcherbirds feeding. Not a single small bird, not even a Willie or a Grey Fantail. The grass that had supported the finches now had Noisy Miners rustling through it, something else I’ve not seen before (Miners in long grass).
Perhaps the effect was heightened by time of day (lunchtime) and season, and it may be temporary, but still this represents something quite new. I think Geoffrey Dabb reported not having seem miners there in past years and he’s been visiting the area for much longer than 6 years.
Julian
www.flickr.com/photos/ozjulian/
