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.
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/
