Dear all
Very many thanks to the seven people who responded to my enquiry. And apologies
for not saying I was writing from the east side of Port Phillip, Vic, where we
have remnants of coastal Coast Banksia (B. integrifolia) woodland, Silver
Banksia (B. marginata) in heathlands and also the tree form of Silver Banksia
inland (at Cheltenham Park) in "Coastal Sands Woodland" (a botanist's proposed
"interim Ecological Vegetation Class"). B. serrata and others are planted.
Incidentally I was yesterday amazed by a photograph taken about 100 years ago
of the foreshore near Ricketts Point. It showed young (say 20cm trunk diameter)
Coast Banksias forming something like a closed canopy forest - rather than
woodland - right down to the edge of the beach.
To summarise the replies:
- Noisy Miners are not often recorded feeding on Banksia flowers
- Noisy Miners rarely dominate natural Banksia vegetation, in contrast with
Eucalypt vegetation
- this may be due to the structure of the flowers
- however vegetation structure (openness etc.) may be more important
- understorey to the Banksias should help smaller species of bird
- in Carl Gosper's study of some coast vegetation in NSW (Corella 1999, Vol.
23, 53-62) 23 species were recorded feeding at Coast Banksia flowers. These
included 12 species of honeyeater but not Noisy Miners.
- banksias (unlike Norfolk Island Pines) also provide food to bats and other
mammals
I've also checked our records of Noisy Miners on Banksias, and almost all
relate to small numbers (3 or less) in our foreshore opposite a park (Triangle
Gardens) where they breed amongst nectar-rich gums, mainly WA Flowering Gums.
My mammal records are of a rat on Silver Banksia and a Grey-headed Flying-fox
on Coast Banksia.
Further contributions welcome !
Michael Norris
Bayside Friends of Native Wildlife
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