I will not surprisingly take disagreement with some issues. Fair point that
Many of these species are in a far worse situation than the Scarlet Robin.
Sadly most of us live in houses that caused the problem that we now have, when those suburbs were established. Maybe it is a statement of the obvious. So Mark has been part of the
problem for over 50 years and I have for over 30 years. To avoid hypocrisy, we need a more innovative approach to the problem, especially when complaining to politicians.
I don’t know that it is fair to call the arboretum a totally environmental UNfriendly useless thing.
Maybe so in a local sense but does have some environmental use in a broader sense. As for: Many of the species involved will rarely figure in the GBS survey so that source
of information is not very good. (In passing I wonder what “GBS survey” is: Garden Bird Survey survey? That is as bad as ATM machine, PIN number, HIV virus, etc.) Beyond that, yes
I suspect there are some species Mark has in mind that are not inhabitants of the type of woodland habitat encroached upon by suburbs. And so GBS results do not give a lot of information on them.
One of the many things that the GBS shows is how well or not various species cope with suburban habitat. Some better than others. So yes
Many of the species involved will rarely figure in the GBS. There are many species that are reasonably common in woodland around here but poorly represented in the GBS.
Thus various of those that GBS evidence indicates they do not cope well with suburban habitat, that alone would appear to me to be important information, if the issue becomes one of the conservation risk of extending suburban habitat into former woodland.
As in we have a basis to show from GBS that suburban encroachment is an adverse process for them, so that is useful information. A lot better than nothing. The other thing is that GBS has a good survey protocol that uses the concept of population, rather than
just occurrence and in which the numerator and denominator of the status indicators are reasonably reliable, so it does give generally useful population trends at least in that habitat. Our GBS is much better and longer information than what is available in
any other Australian city (indeed it is hard to find much similar information anywhere outside Australia). The information is nearly as good as the understanding of its structure allows it to be.
Better for COG to keep records of all species equally, in a systematic fashion, rather than 72 of them. As for
COG should be keeping records on.
Well yes we are and the records are what we put in. However concentrating records on targets can lead to all sorts of biases.
Philip
From: Mark Clayton [
Sent: Friday, 8 April, 2016 2:58 PM
To: 'COG List'
Subject: [canberrabirds] Scarlet Robin
Hi all,
Having birded locally in and around Canberra for over 50 years, I don’t need graphs to tell me that the robin and many other species are declining. I had to laugh when I read the Canberra Times article asking for comments on the draft plan
of management for the species. There is one, and only one, simple answer – STOP BUILDING HOUSES ON THE BIRD’S HABITAT – it really is that simple. We destroy valuable natural habitat for housing and use a clapped out piece of former pine plantation eminently
suitable for housing to put in a totally environmental UNfriendly useless arboretum. I have looked at the current ACT list (I was on a committee that reviewed the status of the ACT’s birds) and from memory there were 72 species that COG should be keeping records
on. Many of these to my way of thinking are in a far worse situation than the Scarlet Robin. One of these days I will get around to writing something on my thoughts (Michael Lenz don’t hold your breath) for Canberra Bird Notes. Many of the species involved
will rarely figure in the GBS survey so that source of information is not very good.
Whatever comes out of the plan I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for the current ACT environment minister (who won’t be there after the next local election) to do anything constructive. I have had numerous dealings with him via email and
found he is at best ignorant and at worst stupid when it come to the local environment. The same goes for the Chief Minister who is just plain arrogant. The dollar will come before everything else with the environment generally last in their thinking. Several
people on the chat line have commented on proposals to build new suburbs or extra housing in existing areas. No-one from the government will take any notice of you or of COG. I wish you well trying to stop development but you are really flogging a dead horse.
The only thing that scares me more than this current government is the thought of what the Liberal Party will do to the so called “Bush Capital”.
Mark
