birding-aus

An interesting read - Why do we feed wild animals?

To: Peter Shute <>
Subject: An interesting read - Why do we feed wild animals?
From: storm <>
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2016 09:22:23 +0000
​T​
here is no widespread circovirus in the North America or Europe
​ which limits one significant danger​ for Australian birds.

People who are interested in circovirus, specifically psittacine beak and
feather, might be interested to know of recent infections in raptors. Most
obviously one of the sea eagles chicks from this year at Homebush has been
euthanasied following infection.

I don't know how serious the issues with
​Trichomoniasis are - I imagine they vary with area and local species. The
same is likely to be true of chlamydiosis. Both of these diseases are
likely to be more common around feeders due to their means of transmission.
Both are horrible diseases that are potentially fatal.

Storm ​

On Monday, 25 January 2016, Peter Shute <> wrote:

> 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
> >
> >
> > Sent using CloudMagic Email
> > [
> https://cloudmagic.com/k/d/mailapp?ct=pa&cv=8.0.91&pv=6.0&source=email_footer_2]
> 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
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > <HR>
> > <BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
> > <BR> 
> > <BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
> > <BR> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
> > </HR>
> > <HR>
> > <BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
> > <BR> 
> > <BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
> > <BR> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
> > </HR>
> <HR>
> <BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
> <BR> 
> <BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
> <BR> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
> </HR>
>
<HR>
<BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
<BR> 
<BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
<BR> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
</HR>
<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU