In relation to the goats yes while goats are worth money we will never get rid of goats, as there is not enough incentive to do so. In relation to Vulkathanna Gammon Ranges there were no goats just as there was almost no living thing, including almost no birds. No Euros, no fresh dung. The only animal seen was one yellow footed rock wallaby.
I agree with Michael, that it should be obvious to people if they go into the field that global warming is real, but unfortunately a lot of people I speak to consider we are only in a drought situation and that the tide will turn. One of the people on the four day walk with us thought this was the case even though we were staring at and camping amongst dead trees between 200 - 500 years old.
My point is that global warming is the biggest threat to our birds and that we all need to do as much as we can to secure our future and the future of our birds. At Chowilla Island in the Riverland there basically were no land birds due to the dead River Box trees and in Vulkathanna there were basically no birds. If I take out the small flocks of fairy martins, dusky woodswallows and corellas there would have been less than 10 birds (not species, birds) seen in four days. I had seen the woodswallows and the corellas at Grindell's Hut when we arrived, assumedly as even though a large number of river red gums are dead there, there is still a spring in the creek just down from the hut, but who knows for how much longer?
None of us are too small to make a difference. This leads to inaction and if all the small people do nothing, the big people can get away with doing nothing.
Yours for the birds
Gary I respectfully acknowledge the Nukunu people, the Traditional Owners of the land on which I live
On Sat, 8 Aug 2020 at 14:48, MADELON LANE <> wrote:
On the lack of birds and dry dead vegetation in Flinders Ranges and Vulkathunha Gammon Ranges and similar country like Mutawintje National Park, there is climate change plus pest change. Once upon a time pastoralists, graziers etc had sheep and cattle and controlled goats as a pest species. Now goats are worth more than sheep, need no effort, and in fact can be harvested from the home farm and ALL local land including National Parks for free at massive profit. It is the final nail in the coffin of the environment as goats eat every last living plant. And corrupt National Park managers such as Mutawintje NP actually openly farm the goats, capturing 20,000 per year for profit and turning all the breeders back onto the Park. The waters are fouled with piles of stinking goat carcasses yet the goats still pile on and breed and the birds, rock wallabies ( eg the poor pair we saw at Chambers Gorge) etc are eaten out of their environment whether it rains or not. Gary,
During the 1983 drought I saw inland dotterels on the Whyalla-Kimba road (lat 33o06.34"S in google earth). This and your observations are a long way south of where I'd normally expect to see them. I'm hearing of black honeyeaters and crimson chats further south than they are normally seen too. I remember these and white-faced honeyeaters around my home town of Whyalla for the first time in my experience during the 1983 drought too. Have others noticed this happening elsewhere during this and past droughts too ?
Re. climate change versus strengthening protective legislation, I don't think they're alternatives. We need both. Action on climate change will have a long-term benefits. Better protective legislation will help ensure species to survive in the shorter term, so they're still around to (hopefully) adapt to whatever we allow the climate to become.
My two-bobs worth anyway. 😊
Greg
From: Gary Wright <>
To: birding-aus <>
Subject: inland dotterels and global warming
I just saw three inland dotterels between Quorn and wilmington south australia-many 100's of kilometres further south than I have ever seen them before. The two seen well were in breeding plumage. I assume they have come South due to lack of rain due to global warming.
since we have been allowed to move around SA I have been to three locations all of which have had mainly dead vegetation and very few birds. These places are Flinders Ranges, Gammon ranges and chowilla island in the Riverland.
I was aware of global warming and the drying of SA but seeing these areas has hit me hard. The lack of birds in these places was to be expected when I saw the landscape as we all know that birds need vegetation, vegetation needs water. We need water. Camping in Gammons on a four day hike was an eerie experience to be camped on a creekline, surrounded by dead trees and not a sound. If anyone wants photos, I can send them.
Birdlife Australia appears to me to be focusing on a minor issue when they want us to take action to stop the Federal government from weakening the Environmental Protection Biodiversity and Conservation Act. Global warming has already far outstripped any effects that this weakening will have.
I looked at Birdlife Australia's website and there is a policy on global warming but I never receive an emaill update about global warming as an issue that Birdlife is tackling. It is not listed under their campaigns.
I know many people on this forum agree that global warming is the bigggest threat facing our birds (and the future of the birds, is not separate from our future). I think Birdlife Australia should make it front and centre of their activities.
Gary
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