Is anyone else having a disappointing spring as far as bird arrivals are
concerned?
I'm writing from Gunnedah and live on a property in the middle of mixed
farming, grazing and cotton growing areas.
I've been there for six years now and this year the number of birds
arriving for spring is considerably down, as are the numbers of resident
species.
Regular spring arrivals that haven't made it this year include striped
honeyeaters, western and yellow throated gerygones, white browed wood
swallows, southern whitefaces and I haven't even seen a mistletoe bird.
The small birds that are there are greatly reduced in number. I only have
an occasional superb wren and zebra finch. The large flock of yellow
rumped thornbills has dwindled to about half a dozen, and wonder of wonders
there are NO sparrows! They usually nest in my roof in large numbers.
Even the starlings seem to be down in numbers.
All the years of drought have not helped the situation I suppose, but the
season is good now. There has been a large influx of yellow throated
miners which wouldn't have helped, and then there are all the environmental
issues......
I would like to hear if others have noticed the same sort of thing. I have
never been a radical greenie, but maybe it's about time I turned into one!
Annabel Hoskins
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