>I too live in Brisbane, and agree that if you have Noisy Miners,and/or
>Butcherbirds, you
>dont have Sparrows. Unfortunatley, you dont have anything else either,
>except Magpies,
>Kookaburras, and Rainbow Lorikeets by the NOISY thousand !
> We have past records of Monarchs, Silver Eyes, Kingfishers, Brown
>H/Eaters,etc.etc.
>But not no longer.
> - - - - - - -
>John Holt
Let me throw a spanner in the works. This exchange of information is what I
love about birding-aus - we gain broader knowledge.
I'm not that far from John Holt. I'm in the hinterland of the Sunshine
Coast, Qld, where small acreages abound.
We have no sparrows, but they are numerous in the township of Beerwah about
3km from us.
Our most numerous species would be the Noisy Miner. A good stoush would
bring in up to 30 NMs, and a dozen Little Wattlebirds. We have both Pied
and Grey Butcherbirds, Magpies, Kookaburras and Rainbow Lorikeets. In
addition, we have an expanding (damn it) population of Pied Currawongs.
However, we also have a family of resident Brown Thornbills, several Brown
& Lewins Honeyeaters, Scarlets when the feed is right, and the odd
Silvereye. A migrant Grey Fantail spends the winter here. I saw a very
young Brown Honeyeater here yesterday being attended by its parents,
indicating successful breeding.
When we first moved here three years ago, none of these smaller species was
here, except in passing. We have changed the profile of our property with
extensive plantings. I can't think of anything else we have done, which
could have enabled the smaller birds to come and remain safely in our
garden. I don't believe anything detrimental has occurred in the immediate
surrounds to drive them here.
I think there is more to it than simply the presence or otherwise of
aggressive species. If the smaller species are able to hide well in
suitable vegetation, coexistence can occur. At least in my garden.
Are any others experiencing this coexistence of aggressive and smaller species?
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