birding-aus

IT IS imperative we feed wild animals

To: Birding Aus <>
Subject: IT IS imperative we feed wild animals
From: Penn Gwynne <>
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 18:14:18 -0700 (PDT)
IT IS imperative we feed wild animals.
 
How we go about doing this and what we feed them is thee issue.
 
NOT whether we should or should not feed them.
 
Thee wholesale slaughter/change of the native lands is the number one factor why ALL species worldwide are in decline, except one, humans.
 
Marian Andrews?s text is in black.
John A. Gamblin replies with text of green.

FEEDING OUR WILDLIFE:

Everybody loves to attract wildlife in to his or her garden. There are always going to be people who want to feed our wildlife, we would rather you feed supplement foods that wont harm them too much although they will not be getting their proper vitamins.

Marian who is thee "we" you refer to? Vitamin supplements can easily be added to the food that is put out? Try getting a cuttlefish from your local beach, rinsing off the sand in the ocean shallows, and then wrapping it in a clean, dry cloth. When you get home think of it as Saddam Hussein, repeatedly and gently tap it with a 5lb. Metal hammer until all you are left with is a fine dust powder. Scatter the dust only, in with your wild bird food. Parrots adore it, Galahs live past 85 years of age on it.

These foods should only be used for a short-term period of time.

This is a twaddle and poppycock statement and does not take into account man-made drought areas and Australian/worldwide landscape change? guess how much South American forrest has disappeared in the last short time span of 50 years?

By feeding our wildlife they become dependant on you and will not search for food for themselves.

The dependency issue applies to under 4 per cent of ALL of Australia?s wildlife species. NOT ONE member of the wildlife family of thee Australian 4 per cent become fully dependent upon being fed solely by one human being, especially in the wild.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Plant plenty of native flowering trees and shrubs.

I totally agree with thee above line, in a vain attempt to hang on to what we have got remaining, despite city sprawl and our agricultural modern day methods.

If putting bird feeders and water dishes out, please make sure you throw away any left over seed and water, wipe the feeder and water dish out each day with bleach.

Your point of issue here is flawed as different climatic conditions vary the amount of algae and possible mould growth? You are wasting valuable water and food. How many birds in the wild have to wash their canteens each night?

There are many diseases out there and they are easily spread through feeding off bird feeders.

This only applies to a severe lack of maintenance by the bird feeder owner. Most Australians who hang up and out bird feeders check them twice a day at least. Climatic conditions throughout Australia have a huge variant factor. Using the correct type of wild bird tray that holds the food in the correct manner is the way to go.

Put water dishes and bird feeders up high off the ground away from predators like cats and dogs.

Why would a cat or dog owner put bird feeders out on their property in the first place? Especially at a low level? If they are predator cats and dogs that have strayed onto the property then shoot them or have them shot, then send the offending owners the bill. Microchip ALL cats and dogs.

If feeding seeds always use a small parrot mixture, with no black sunflower seed.

This again is flawed as it is dependent upon the species being feed?

Do Not use plain sunflower seeds as they are very fatty and oily, and may cause feathers to fall out.

Where did you get this most enlightening data from? What native wildlife are you referring to? I know my Dad had his teeth fall out through eating to many sunflower seeds during world war two, his teeth fell out when he was 61. Many years after world war two.

Lorikeets are Nectar eaters and not seed eaters.

They DO NOT in the wild eat nothing but nectar all year round.

They will eat seed if it is available, they have bristles on the end of their tongues, by eating continual seeds, the bristles on the tips of their tongue will eventually fall off making it difficult for them to eat their natural food of nectar, which they get out of flowers.

Yep lorikeets that eat nothing else at all but seeds will have this occur. BUT in the wild? If one bristle is lost then does it not regrow similar to a human hair, I believe this is the case.

Breads, honey, sugars, biscuits, etc, are very bad to feed all wildlife.

Absolute bulldust and bunkum, the number one food for rehabbing a young seed eating wild bird includes crushed and mixed "Marie" or "Milk Arrowroot" type biscuits. I quote from my own gospel: Nestlings ? mostly seed eating birds but not all. Take one hard boiled, free range chicken egg, chopped then rolled into either crushed sweet "Marie" or "Milk arrowroot" biscuits add a pinch of wheat germ plus a teaspoon of clean pure warm water. This is only part of the young ones diet.

It causes vitamin deficiencies, stopping normal feather/fur growth, leg paralysis, as they aren?t getting the proper vitamins from their natural diet. Their digestive system will be damaged and eventually lead to very serious problems.

Any native wildlife that lives on a diet of solely Breads, honey, sugars, biscuits is asking for trouble, let alone any human. We don?t have enough native bees to produce native honey, some natural sugars are available but humans make breads and biscuits? I think that is saying something eh?

Your local pet and produce stores will sell substitute foods, such as ? a small parrot mix with little sunflower seed, a Nectar mix which Lorikeets, Honeyeaters and Wattlebirds will eat just dry powder, they love it. If you have an apple core or old fruit going to waste like ? apples, bananas, mandarin, oranges, pears, rock melon, etc., these are also okay to put out for the birds.

Once any of the fruits listed above have been picked they are losing their nutritional goodness. Work with your neighbours and plant a different fruit-bearing tree on each neighbouring block. Call it the JAG fruity bird tree; we do not have enough "fruity birds" in Australia.

Other birds seen in backyards wanting to be fed are Magpies, and Kookaburras. It is best to feed lean raw chicken or beef strips or mince.

Why when variety in any wild bird diet is a good thing, not BAD. I hand feed my Kookaburra?s and Magpies a varied diet, including sometimes, boneless cooked fish? A Kookaburra is a Kingfisher.

Processed meats such as ? bacon, devon, etc, bread, sugars and honey are also not good to feed.

VOLUMES? And what is Devon? I always thought it was a county?

Do Not feed Possums, Wombats, Kangaroos or Wallabies, you can help them by placing a dish of fresh water out each day. We advise people not to feed our wildlife, as they will become dependant on us, which can make them lazy and will not search for food themselves.

VOLUMES and REGULARITY of feeding? No Possum, Wombat, Kangaroo or Wannabee can live solely on water. I think thee above statement conflicts heavily with any wildlife carer.

They can become pests to your neighbours, by getting in to people?s roofs, garbage bins and don?t leave birdseed out at night as Possums will eat it and get bloat, which can be fatal for them.

Ah the real reason reveals itself eh? It depends on the feeder and it?s anti possum defence. Squirrel and Possum proof feeders are available.

If the person who has been feeding them suddenly moves or goes away, they will eventually starve.

I have lived at many locations on the Mornington Peninsula, I regularly return to visit most of my past homes. Often I meet up with olde wildlife friends. Not that long ago, a good friend of mine must have had a heart attack? Whilst he sat watching TV one night, he was a Collingwood fan, and they lost I think? It was about four days later that I went round to check up on his absence from attending a community help group, that we both would attend from time to time, when I found him. He loved his wild birds and would feed them. Not one dead bird was found when I found him. More then one or two nests, with young being successfully raised still there?

Speak to your local Nursery or National Parks and Wildlife service, they can help you with a list of native trees for your area.

I'm going to get an article from this mornings brilliant Jon Faine show. It's about old men like me dying in Ministry of housing flats.

JAG on the waughpath.


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