Charlie,
Birds will often go back to the same nest site, if in a tree-hole, a large nest such as an eagles or on a cliff ledge, year after year even if the nest fails for some reason. Holes in trees are at a premium and competition at a good site is fierce and always worth defending. Putting a collar around a tree may stop some predators but not other species of birds or animals such as Sugar Gliders as a talk given at the last COG meeting concerning nesting Swift Parrots showed. In this case the Sugar Glider is an introduced species to Tasmania from mainland Australia so should be looked at in the same light as cats and foxes and even Koalas on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. One of the major introduced species that deprive birds and hollow dependant mammals of nest or den sites are feral honey bees. It is almost impossible trying to stop them from taking over hollows.
However having said all that, you must remember that predation is a naturally occurring practice in the wild, especially by goannas, but also by many bird species, some of which people aren’t aware of. Most people blame Pied Currawongs but they are NOT the villains people make them out to be, they are doing exactly what they are designed to do
Obviously the choice is yours to do what you think best.
Cheers,
Mark
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From: charles davis [
Sent: Friday, 10 May 2013 2:09 PM
To: Canberra Birds
Subject: [canberrabirds] A question for everybody
Hi all I was wondering what peoples thoughts were on the topic of birds returning to nest sites if they loose chicks at that nest in the previous year. Would the parents return the following year to try again if the nest is a good one ?. Or would the parents abandon the nest for ever after ?.
I ask because last year I had my goshawks chicks taken by a predator as well as my gang gangs. I am wondering whether they will return this year to try again. If they do I would like to metal collar there nest trees to stop the predation from cats and goannas again.
