Hi all
Seems to still be a reasonable population of Song Thrush around Kilsyth....
absolutely the only half decent reason to visit the in-laws who reside there ;-)
CheersTim
> Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2013 21:11:43 +1100
> From:
> To: ;
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Song Thrush (was Tree Sparrows)
>
> I rather regret the disappearance of the Song Thrush. I enjoyed
> its song (more soprano than the Blackbird, with much repetition of
> phrases) and its zeal for snail removal.
> I noticed that they began to decline when snail-killer was issued
> mixed with fertilizer. I think this encouraged heavier use and it
> certainly poisoned Song Thrushes (it was also poisonous to dogs and I
> don't think that formulation is now available).
> Droughts and consequent snail shortages didn't help. The recent
> big drought for over 10 years, with increasingly severe water
> restrictions, meant that earthworms were also very hard to come by for a
> long time. Even Magpies found it hard to dig in the baked ground. I
> believe that Song Thrushes are still occasionally seen in the Botanic
> Gardens.
> The disappearance of large European-style gardens and their
> replacement with barren hard surfaces hasn't helped. Have you noticed
> how many front lawns have been converted to parking areas? Let alone the
> proliferation of flats, units and double occupancy of suburban blocks.
> And I haven't said anything about climate change either. How many other
> 'common' species will we lose in the next few years?
>
> Back to Tree Sparrows. They used to be quite common locally in
> Ivanhoe. They nested in the roof of a neighbour's decrepit tin-shed
> garage. New occupants pulled the garage down and carefully blocked
> possum access to the house with repairs to the tiled roof. No more
> Tree Sparrows. House Sparrows persisted where fowls and rabbits were
> kept, but they are now very seldom seen in local gardens. They persist
> around shopping centres, but I no longer see them at the railway
> station, where both species used to nest in the stanchions, carrying
> twigs and papers into the crannies. Will we be asking in ten years time
> where are all the House Sparrows?
>
> When we visited London in 2000, we were surprised by the absence of
> House Sparrows. We were told it was because modern buildings offer no
> crannies or ledges for their nests, and the ornamental cornices, ledges
> and column capitals on older buildings were all screened off with fine
> netting. Not many Feral Pigeons there either.
>
> Anthea Fleming
>
>
> On 29/12/2013 7:38 PM, Sonja Ross wrote:
> > Re the Song Thrush decline, another factor I've heard suggested, was the
> > drop in the number of snails when the long drought reduced the amount of
> > watering we could do in Melbourne. Unfortunately the snails seem to have
> > bounced back, but not the Thrush!
> >
> > Sonja
> > _______________________________________________
> > Birding-Aus mailing list
> >
> > To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
> > http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
> >
> >
> >
> > -----
> > No virus found in this message.
> > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> > Version: 2013.0.3462 / Virus Database: 3658/6957 - Release Date: 12/28/13
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Birding-Aus mailing list
>
> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
_______________________________________________
Birding-Aus mailing list
To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
|
