I haven't been following this thread but recall that the initial posting
expressed some concern that the presence of a dingo might indicate a threat
to the local Albert's Lyrebirds.
A decade or two ago, I was tape-recording an Albert's in Lamington N.P.
Couldn't see the bird, of course: if I could see him, he'd be able to see me
and he wouldn't be there. But I had a very good idea as to just where he
was concealed.
I was motionless, just listening through head-phones, mic and reflector on a
tripod. A dingo approached, detected my presence, backed off, and then came
forward again on a route that left it well clear of me, but heading straight
for the lyrebird as near as I could tell. It was still nearly as far away
from the lyrebird as I was, when the sound ceased. I'm sure the lyrebird
had noticed the dingo and silently departed.
Also in Lamington, there is an Albert's that I have been taping since 1984.
He must now be over 30 years old. They are extremely alert and wary birds.
It seems unlikely that dingoes would be a serious threat to them.
Dingoes have long been treated as native fauna by the various government
authorities responsible for fauna conservation. But they differ from other
native species in one important respect: they didn't evolve here. I agree
that the authorities should protect them, but personally, if they became
extinct it wouldn't cause me much sorrow, if any. (I would be greatly
saddened if Blue-tongued Lizards became extinct.)
BYW, a very serious predator, largely unrecognised as such, is the feral
pig. But that's another story.
Cheers
Syd
(You've fixed your computer's calendar, Laurie?)
> From: L&L Knight <>
> Date: Thu, 1 Jan 1970 12:28:21 +1000
> To: birding australia <>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] NORTHERN NSW BIRDS
>
> I suspect that dingoes fill a similar ecological niche to the one
> previously occupied by thylacines. I think that they have been in Aus
> long enough ~ 20,000 years, so that they have been integrated into the
> Aus ecology.
>
> Regards, Laurie.
>
> On Tuesday, June 19, 2007, at 06:42 PM, Grant Brosie wrote:
>
>> Everyone,
>>
>> Pardon my ignorane but weren't Dingos introduced to
>> Australia? Does a period of thousands of years matter
>> in relation to an introduced species? In a thousand
>> years time will cats and foxes be protected?
>>
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