The Drought ... Mankind ... the big picture and birds

[Penn Gwynne <>]

I read with interest the words of Merrilyn Serong who emailed:

Hi Peter and others,

It must be wonderful to be able to watch the Willy Wagtails from the window at work,
but I think it is very important not to try to artificially supplement the diet of wild native birds (for the various reasons that have been aired before on B-aus).

The best we can do for them is to conserve or improve their environment in the most
naturalistic way possible. Presumably if the birds are there, the environment is
likely to be reasonably suitable already. It would be good to make sure that the
areas and any vegetation that they use are not interfered with by people.

Birds use song to show other birds of the same species where their own territory
is. The bird that is singing at its reflection might be telling its image not to try to move in as the territory is already taken.

Cheers,
Merrilyn **************************************************************************************************

The problem is Merrilyn we as humans, merely being humans, put so much pressure on the landspace called "Terra Australis" that the mere fact we are here is changing the environment. Our drain upon water resources alone is the main factor why we are seeing land degradation etc etc. If you don't couple with that, the present lack of rainfall, or the felling of tree's, the human alteration to the landmass and just think about the water catchment area's on there own and what that area is?

I'm not a Rhode Scholar, or an Oxford uni professor neither am I an Einstein BUT I don't have to scratch my head about species extinction either, for I as long as I have breath in these asbestos lungs I will fight tooth and nail to say feeding wild birds is a good thing, as long as that rare human possesion is used? what's that you might say? well call it what you may but it helps me decide whether a bird needs nourishment or moisture, it helps me decide whether they need TLC or a home? it helps me decide IF and where they should be released after some TLC? it tells me when I should let them go, what conditions they shouldgo into.

How can anyone say where did the orange bellied parrot go? when we all know full darn well why the little fella is dropping in numbers. I've got some very very old Australian bird books and it is sad to see just how many biod species mankind has caused to become extinct.

I watched with tears in my eyes at those X*%** so called fisherman killing albatross, the other night on the Ozbeeb. It looked to me like the albatross were protesting the only way they could, at the fish theives, by attaching themselves to the hooked baited long lines, knowing if they got caught it was death by drowning for them. Call that what you may but how do birds protest about human actions?

So Merrilyn can you please answer me this? when Queensland clears the bush in willy nilly fashion as they have done and continue to do, what actually gets and becomes lost? I use the word lost to be nice.

I have never in my life heard anything so ludricous as NOT feeding wild birds whilst we tear down their homes, flatten their foraging area's, and drain their swamps and fish out their food supply.

A very good firend of mine re-subscribed me to a truly good magazine it's called "New Internationalist" I suggest you try to read this months issue.

Problem is Merrilyn the reasons given before for NOT feeding or to supplement a wild birds diet NO LONGER HOLDS WATER ..... and we are losing species like there is no tomorrow, so come off the thin ice Merrilyn as El Nino/La Nina is melting it. I was a friend of yours once ..... friendship now evoked.

Sadly we have failed in our conservation aims and continue to fail to do so, how many more species must dissapear before we are left with the few we wish to conserve? WHO gave us this right to decide which to conserve and which shall perish?

John A. Gamblin

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