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Dear Carol and Birding Aus,
I refer to the information provided by Joe Friend and Southern
Cross University in the recent NSW WIRES Newsletter Autumn 2000. This
article seems to have created much interest with some recent enquiries at the
Birds Australia (Sydney) office.
The suggestion that that Camphor Laurel is toxic to
Australian Birds is very misleading. This suggestion is purely
anecdotal. Scientific literature (and my own personal research) would
suggest the contrary, that in fact, the colonisation of lowland rainforests by
Camphor Laurel and to a lesser extent, privet has led to an increase in bird
species, particularly the fruit eating pigeons.
Birds that have been recorded feeding on camphor laurel, such
as topknot pigeon, wompoo fruit dove and white headed pigeons, have increased in
numbers in the north east of nsw. The spread of camphor laurel to
the temperate parts of NSW, has coincided with more frequent sightings of
Topknot and white headed pigeons in these regions, particularly in the
Sydney.
If Camphor laurel once eaten, caused sterility in
birds, we would be seeing a decrease in these bird species. This is
clearly not the case.
Peter
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Peter
A. Ekert
Co-ordinator - Monitoring Rufous Scrub-birds in Central
Rainforest Reserves in NSW
Manager - Homebush Bay Bird Monitoring Project
(Sydney 2000 Olympics)
Birds Australia (southern NSW and ACT group - SNAG)
PO BOX
1322
CROWS NEST NSW 1585
02 94361349
0410 566 104
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