I have to say I found this example to be quite inspiring. We use the term
"hero" to describe professional sports women and men who earn a fortune for
doing what they do, yet people who invest time, money and effort to restore
what others have damaged or destroyed receive little or no recognition or
gratitude.
Sometimes I wonder where our priorities are...
---
> wrote:
>
>
>G'day Chris and others,
>
>In response to a request for information regarding the use of relocated
>hollow-bearing trees. A good friend of mine, John Robinson, who lives in
>Strathfieldsaye south of Bendigo, has put a great deal of effort into
>relocating
>a dead tree on his 'Land for Wildlife' grassy woodland property. The tree was
>blown-over in a wind storm several years ago and fell over the creek running
>alongside his property. The tree was of no real habitat value where it fell so
>being slightly eccentric, John decided he would convert the fallen tree into an
>apartment block for local hollow-dependant fauna, raising a few of his
>neighbours eye-brows in the process! At his own personal expense, he hired in
>some excavating equipment to dig a deep hole, hired a crane for half a day to
>remove the tree from the creek and place it in the hole, then ordered a truck
>of
>pre-mix to cement the thing in (that process totalled close to $3000). After
>erecting the tree, he used silicone and pieces of natural timber to alter the
>diameter of many of the natural hollow openings to specifically target
>different
>species. He also created new hollows using a chainsaw and a chisel.
>
>Since completing the project, John has observed the following species either
>nesting or sheltering in different hollows in the 'habitat' tree:
>
>Sacred Kingfisher
>Musk Lorikeet
>Purple-crowned Lorikeet
>Eastern Rosella
>Red-rumped Parrot
>Cockatiel (rare breeding record for Bendigo district)
>Galah
>Laughing Kookaburra
>Striated Pardalote
>Sugar Glider
>Yellow-footed Antechinus
>Lesser Long-eared Bat
>White-striped Freetail-bat
>Little Freetail-bat
>
>This is a very interesting and encouraging tale of what can be achieved to
>successfully provide habitat for hollow-dependant fauna by relocating
>hollow-bearing trees. However, I don't think there is any substitute for
>retaining hollow-bearing trees where they occur naturally, and I think it would
>be a dangerous practise to recommend otherwise.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Chris Tzaros
>Land for Wildlife Extension Officer
>Department of Natural Resources & Environment
>Box 3100
>Bendigo Delivery Centre 3554
>
>Ph. (03) 5430 4368
>
>
>Birding-Aus is on the Web at
>www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
>To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
>"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
>to
_____________________________________________________________
Access your free email from anywhere in the world!
---------- www.KangarooMail.com -----------
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|