I’m backing Mick on this. I lived just around the corner from the area he’s
writing about, and the reason we moved was the habitat destruction. Apart from
the heartbreak over seeing these beautiful areas disappear I really couldn’t
guarantee my clients that the mangroves that were there one week would still be
there the next. A group of us formed a Landcare group, but it was a losing
battle.
We used to live in Parap, about 3 kms from the CBD. The bird list for our 1/4
acre block numbered 143. We moved to Palmerston from Parap near central
Darwin in 2004, one reason being the habitat loss. There’s now a block of
units where our old elevated house stood. The bird list must be down to about
a dozen now.
Rufous Owls need a large area in which to hunt. The well-known pair in the
Botanic Gardens probably ranged as far as Parap and Ludmilla if not further.
Many if not most of the established gardens throughout the area, including
ours, have gone and virtually every wilderness area is under threat. Now
Palmerston, and the rural area. It’s extinction by increment.
Mick, you could try contacting Sue McKinnon - I think she’s still deputy mayor
of Palmerston. Sue used to be chair of our landcare group (I was the ecotourism
adviser).
Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
PO Box 71
Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841
043 8650 835
PhD candidate, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW.
Founding Member: Ecotourism Australia
Nominated by Earthfoot for Condé Nast’s International Ecotourism Award, 2004.
With every introduction of a plant or animal that goes feral this continent
becomes a little less unique, a little less Australian.
On 25 Mar 2016, at 1:23 am, Mick Jerram <> wrote:
> Hi Folks
>
> I was asked to survey a small block in Palmerston in the Buscall Ave drainage
> channel from Sanctuary Lakes. It is a really nice bit of habitat, especially
> for a Rufous Owl I found enjoying some prey (Bar-shoudered Dove possibly).
> Sad thing is that this small amount of land has a proposal for
> development/clearing for an Optus/Vodafone tower. Its the last option from 3
> proposed sites, the others discounted because of what seems like access
> issues, i.e. no-track! The submission period has expired, as usual, the
> development sign put up with less than 2 weeks for people to notice and make
> submissions. Some submissions were forwarded, but there is a hope of
> community meetings occurring soon.
> I don't know about everyone else, but I am concerned about how easily we are
> succumbing to the destruction of of our local green belts? If you are a
> Palmerston resident or share the same concerns, Id be happy for you to
> contact me.
> Sorry to make this great sighting quite a negative report.
> Sincerely Mick
>
>
>
>
>
>
> <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>
|
