birding-aus

Insecticides

To: Dave Torr <>
Subject: Insecticides
From: Robert Scholes <>
Date: Tue, 19 May 2020 09:26:40 +1000
True. 

On Tue, 19 May 2020, 9:20 am Dave Torr, <> wrote:
Yes, I seem to recall a German program on TV about this. In the "good old days" when driving you had to clean the windscreen of dead insects nearly every time you stopped for fuel - not not so common.
Of course habitat loss is a factor as well - we used to be surrounded by farms but now all they grow is houses. And mono-culture does not hep either

Couldnt agree more. Not only insects 0affected  but I am sure humans too. Asthma was unusual 60 years ago to name just one illness.


     After an ornithologically sterile month traversing California, a creeping realisation that Mulgoa Valley, once seething with small birds now has far fewer, ditto Avoca on the NSW Central Coast, the penny dropped.

      INSECTICIDES. are wiping out the base of the food chain in built up and semi rural areas.

       Not just for small birds, but all the way up to raptors like Black shouldered Kites and falcons which include insects directly, and indirectly via small reptiles which are largely insectivorous.  Honeyeaters eat insects in flowers as well as their nectar.

       A very obvious example has been the demise of House Sparrows worldwide, although granivorous their young need animal protein, in the form of insects, to develop. Those insects have largely gone due to insecticides, House Sparrow sightings are now rare. My last single sighting was in  Bunnings Gosford Nursery.  ? Significance ?

        Most Reptiles, most small Mammals, most Amphibians and most Fish need insects.

          How many Councils spray entire suburbs  for Flies and Mosquitos, unwittingly killing thousands of birds and reptiles.

         A giant problem. Any suggestions re a longterm solution.?

"Bring Back the Birds. Ban inorganic and long lasting Insecticides "

Hoping that this starts a longterm campaigns

Much more to come.


              Michael


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