I follow the California birding Facebook group and the issue of disease and
bird feeders comes up fairly often.
Cheers
Steve
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 <
> <javascript:;>> 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 <
> <javascript:;>
> <javascript:;>] > 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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