Can anyone tell me if disease transmission at bird feeders is as much of a
problem in the USA and UK as it is here?
Peter Shute
Sent from my iPad
> On 24 Jan 2016, at 9:49 PM, Janine Duffy <>
> wrote:
>
> Well said Julian.
>
> I agree with Greg that a good native garden is a great thing, but I don't
> agree
> that feeding wild birds should be discouraged.
>
> I believe that one of the biggest problems facing our birds, and other
> wildlife,
> is that many Australians don't care whether they live or die. In fact many
> Australians know very little about their native wildlife. I deal with
> mainstream
> travelers (not birders - ordinary people) from North America, the UK and
> Europe,
> and I am impressed by their knowledge and understanding of their native birds,
> much of it gained from feeders, and in contrast I am shocked and ashamed at
> Australian's lack of knowledge. I mean, almost every American knows what an
> American Robin is, and a Bald Eagle. But I am constantly asked by Aussies
> whether that bird is a magpie, and every whistling kite and brown falcon seems
> to be a wedge-tailed eagle!!!
>
> Anything that increases our connection with and understanding of our birds is
> good.
>
> And where have we got this idea that it is so bad for birds? Yes disease is
> bad.
> Yes, natural behavior may change. But hell, in a country battling climate
> change, drought, and changing fire regimes that affect millions of hectares
> this
> is the least of the problems for the birds.
>
> Back off on the bird feeding community and welcome them instead. A few million
> more members of Birdlife Australia (all the bird feeders out there) all
> funding
> and lobbying for change in governmental policy would do far more for birds
> than
> a cessation of feeding.
>
> Check Darryl Jones article in Australian Birdlife, vol 3, no 2 June 2014 where
> he raises some important points and challenges some myths.
>
> Janine
>
>
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> On Sun, Jan 24, 2016 at 2:30 PM, Julian Bielewicz <
> > wrote:
> Greetings Greg
>
> Fay and I, on 7½ acres, have over the past 15 years converted and/or
> improved the property’s natural habitat [e.g. on discovering the occasional
> visit by Glossy Black-Cockatoo we have planted some 50 new Allocasuarina
> littoralis trees [propagated from a neighbour’s mature trees]. We have a
> large dam on the southern boundary of the property and a few years ago paid
> to have a small “duck pond” [which our domestic ducks have never used]
> excavated on the north western boundary. We recently relegated an old
> lion’s claw bathtub to the “Doughnut” [an oval garden planted with roses and
> natives]. To top up this supply we have three pedestal birdbaths in various
> spots around the “front yard”.
>
> We have two bird tables and often scatter seed in “Café Avian”.
>
> As an aside, our menagerie consists of a small flock [c20] of free-flying
> domestic pigeons [“Kings”, a table variety], a dozen free-range assorted
> chickens and four ducks.
>
> In 15 years of close observation [and feeding seed and kitchen scraps] we
> have never observed any signs of disease among the regular domestics or
> wildlife visitors; have never observed any of the domestic birds, let alone
> any of the wild species, fall victim to a raptor or any other avian
> predator. We have noted a Collared Sparrowhawk attempt to take a pigeon but
> it failed and has never been seen since. I will admit to a couple of
> chickens and a duck being taken by a fox- before we fox-proofed the coop.
>
> While your tale of the Eastern Osprey chicks being so “viciously” attacked
> by the Pied Butcherbirds I would immediately question the use of the emotive
> “vicious”. What exactly is “vicious” in wildlife terms? How do Torresian
> Crow, Pied Currawong, Laughing Kookaburra, etc. mount up in your equation?
>
> Surely, Pied Butcherbirds taking out fledgling IS nature; the natural
> process. How do you correlate one [the presence of Pied Butcherbird being
> fed by humans] with the other [the taking of Eastern Osprey chick]?
>
> I can clearly recall, back in our Redcliffe days, a cat taking a Rainbow
> Lorikeet, dashing across the road and tearing up the fenceline between our
> house and the neighboour’s. In the bat of an eyelid, a Pied Butcherbird
> swooped down on fleeting feline, causing it to drop the bird. We retrieved
> the lorikeet and spent the next few days nurturing said patient. It
> survived to fight another day.
>
> A Brownie point for the Pied Butcherbird!!
>
> How did the Pied Butcherbirds connect human feed with the need to kill
> fledglings? Did they notice the fledglings during normal foraging
> expeditions? Would they have noticed the fledglings regardless or human
> supplementary feeds?
>
> Yes, we derive immense satisfaction from feeding the local avifauna but how
> can anyone measure the benefit to birds during spring when they have
> additional mouths to feed or following a heavy, prolonged, rainstorm when
> “normal” food becomes scarer?
>
> Your assertion that wildlife managed perfectly well before humans started
> artificially feeding them flies in the face of logic and fact. Surely, if
> humans had not initially interfered with the bird’s natural environment [to
> create roads, houses, etc] then birds may well have managed BUT humans have
> interfered and consequently bird habitat ranges have diminished. Feeding
> birds is simply a small recompense for losses inflicted on birds by humans.
>
> We DO feed wildlife in our garden and we derive a great amount of enjoyment
> having King-Parrots sit on the verandah; Blue-faced Honeyeater and Noisy
> Miner drinking at the bird baths; Common Bronzewing take seed at Café Avian;
> Grey Butcherbird and Laughing Kookaburra eating insects and lizards; both
> Little and Noisy Friarbird feeding on nectar that the local native plants
> provide.
>
> We totally disagree with your “bottom line” that Fay and I only feed
> wildlife for our own satisfaction and that it has nothing to do with any
> benefit to the birds. Utter claptrap!
>
> Cheers
>
> Julian
>
>
>
>
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