letter to the editor about Currawongs

["Philip Veerman" <>]

These two letters (one from me) are in response to a letter to the editor about Currawongs from Brian Smith of Conder, published as "Bring back birds" in The Canberra Times on 16 February 2013. I promise my original used proper capital letters for the birds' names and gave the date as 16 February.

Currawong caution
Brian Smith (Letters, February 16) is concerned about a perceived role of the pied currawong in reducing populations of other birds. The issue exists throughout and beyond Canberra. However, it is hard to be sure about the exact impacts. Bird populations of many species fluctuate in Canberra due to many reasons and none have been shown to have been reduced due to predation by this species.

For example, the crested pigeon, which often suffers loss of young to the pied currawong, has continued its rapid increase in numbers since its arrival in the late 1980s. It is unlikely that if there has been any reduction in other bird species in Mr Smith's area, that this is the main reason.

In its breeding season, the pied currawong is a major predator of nestlings and fledged young of other birds. The increase in its summertime breeding population over the past three decades is well documented in my book Canberra Birds: A Report on the first 21 years of the Garden Bird Survey, (which is available in any ACT library).

This increase is the main reason for its impact. The major cause is the regrettable habit of people feeding currawongs and the availability of so much food for them over winter from weed shrubs such as cotoneaster and pyracantha. These enable the species to maintain permanent territories, whereas decades ago it was a migrant.

I strongly encourage Mr Smith and anyone with similar concerns to contribute to the garden bird survey that has been run by Canberra Ornithologists Group in Canberra since July 1981, to provide valuable information for this important long-term research.

Philip Veerman, Kambah
Masses of thicket in your garden will give smaller birds somewhere to hide from Wily 'Wong and Predatory Puss, Brian Smith (Letters, February 16). In my garden I see literally clouds of baby wrens and willy-wagtails darting in and out of two- to three-metre high hedges of yellow-flowered jasmine and abelia. Spiny bushes are even better: a cat or a currawong won't come back for seconds if, in search of a meal, it tangles with a few long, sharp thorns.

Barrie Smillie, Duffy


Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/letters/polls-apart-gillard-cant-afford-to-ignore-warning-signs-20130218-2enfv.html#ixzz2LIXlgSQq