Penn, I am
interested to find out if any studies have been done in Australia on the impact
of artificial feeding on native birds; particularly the aspect of favouring one
particular species to the possible detriment of another.
The most
obvious case is the NECTAR FEEDER and Red or Little Wattlebirds. These bullies
can clear every other species out of a garden in a couple of weeks, including
non-nectar eating, species if the feeder is left unguarded by wire mesh to keep
the bigfellas out. This occurred when I lived in Frankston and put out a nectar
feeder, the Red Wattlebirds chased just about every other species away
including the Spotted Pardalote (I didn’t leave it up very long!).
The other
thing that might cause an imbalance is the common practice of planting lots of
native or other NECTAR BEARING shrubs that again encourages the larger aggressive
honeyeaters.
I don’t
think any studies have been done either here or overseas. I have been in touch
with birders in USA and UK where every other person puts out food for the birds
but they seem to have put a bit more thought into it and provide many different
types of food in different styles of feeders.
Perhaps
the answer for us here where we still have abundant areas of native, more or
less, untouched bush is to leave the artificial feeding to the towns people and
try to provide well researched information on the best foods to supply, the
time of year it would be most beneficial, the type of feeders and most importantly
keeping the feeders clean.
One thing
we don’t want to do is upset the natural balance any more than we have done
already. We certainly don’t want to encourage the sparrows, starlings and
turtledoves to the detriment of the native species by just chucking breadcrumbs
on the back lawn which is how some people think they ‘feed the birds’.
Cheers Val Curtis
-----Original
Message-----
From:
[On
Behalf Of Penn Gwynne
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2003 9:59
AM
To: Birding-Aus
Cc: Valerie Curtis
Subject: Re: [BIRDING-AUS] Help
Please
G'day
Valerie, could I ask you to be a little more exact in what you
are requesting please?
Do you mean
worldwide or in the narrow minded thinking Australia? so many Aussies flatten
the land to build homes then don't replant native trees and plants then
they wonder "Where did all my wild birds go?"
