Victoria's duck hunting season will be cut by two weeks again in 2010 but hunters will be able to increase their hauls by three to five ducks per bag. Acting Minister for Environment and Climate Change Tim Holding said the compromise struck a balance between ensuring sustainable duck numbers and the interests of hunters. The season, which allows hunters to legally shoot native birds, Australian wildlife, will run from March 20 to May 30. Mr Holding says population data collected across eastern Australia indicated duck numbers had increased since the last duck season. "On balance the Government is convinced that hunting will not adversely affect populations of ducks at the levels allowed for the 2010 season," he said.
But the COALITION AGAINST DUCK SHOOTING have accused Premier John Brumby of being just another climate change sceptic and slammed the Victorian Brumby Government for selling out Australia’s native waterbirds by calling a recreational duck shooting season for political reasons. The Coalition Against Duck Shooting’s Campaign Director, Laurie Levy, today said: "The Brumby Government’s decision to allow a duck shooting season in 2010 is totally irresponsible and a betrayal of the 87% of Victorians who want the recreational shooting of native waterbirds banned.
"At a time when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been in Copenhagen seeking an agreement on serious climate change issues, Premier Brumby seems oblivious to the potential crisis and has irresponsibly called another duck shooting season when Australian wildlife, our native waterbirds are under extreme stress." "With wetlands drying and waterbird numbers down by 82% since 1983, Premier Brumby is acting like a climate change sceptic who lacks the vision to understand the serious plight native waterbirds face," said Levy.
"It is difficult to understand how a modern Victorian Labor Government in the 21st century can still have the same destructive policies towards Australia’s native waterbirds as the Bolte Liberal Government of the 1950s and 60s. Times have changed, with the recreational shooting of native waterbirds banned by three State Labor Premiers in WA, NSW and Queensland," Levy said. "As the Brumby Government has again made a political decision to look after their duck shooting mates, the Coalition Against Duck Shooting fully supports Ted Baillieu’s call for an independent Crime Commission to be established in Victoria.
"Calling another season simply for political reasons to accommodate a small number of duck shooters is corruption and must be investigated by a Crime Commission. It defies all the scientific evidence that indicates waterbird numbers have seriously declined, and the fact that most Victorians want native waterbirds protected (87% according to a recent Morgan Research Poll). "Once again the Coalition Against Duck Shooting’s rescue team will return to the wetlands to protect Australia’s native waterbirds from recreational shooters," Levy concluded.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Raptors 18/12/09
Pride of Australia winner Craig Webb, of Kettering, is quite rightly known as Tasmania's ``eagle man''. He has saved the lives of countless birds by caring for them on his 9ha property, and was last month acknowledged when he won the National Pride of Australia environment medal. Now Mr Webb is in the process of constructing the largest raptor aviary and enclosure in the southern hemisphere at his Raptor and Wildlife Refuge of Tasmania. ``There has been generous donations made towards the new construction but there is still a hefty cost,'' he said. ``The central pole will be more then 20m tall [and the netting is similar to what they use in fish farms. The design is fairly basic, but it works.''
It will be the third large avairy on his property, which he said is essential to keep up with the number of rescued animals. He has been rescuing Tasmanian wildlife for more than 12 years. He said spring was the busiest time of year for injured animals. `At the moment I have more then 10 birds in my care, they are all doing quite well,'' he said. Mr Webb also works as a concreter as well as managing and maintaining the raptor refuge. `We get a lot of school groups coming through, they are important for educating the young ones as they grow up,'' he said. ``Educating people on the magnificence of these creatures is my priority, and making people realise the risks they are at because of man's activities. ``There is no feeling like releasing one of these magnificent creatures to the wild.'' For more information on Mr Webb's efforts, go to http://www.raptorrefuge.com.au *Tasmania Sunday Mail
It will be the third large avairy on his property, which he said is essential to keep up with the number of rescued animals. He has been rescuing Tasmanian wildlife for more than 12 years. He said spring was the busiest time of year for injured animals. `At the moment I have more then 10 birds in my care, they are all doing quite well,'' he said. Mr Webb also works as a concreter as well as managing and maintaining the raptor refuge. `We get a lot of school groups coming through, they are important for educating the young ones as they grow up,'' he said. ``Educating people on the magnificence of these creatures is my priority, and making people realise the risks they are at because of man's activities. ``There is no feeling like releasing one of these magnificent creatures to the wild.'' For more information on Mr Webb's efforts, go to http://www.raptorrefuge.com.au *Tasmania Sunday Mail
Cassowary 18/12/09
A cassowary chick has died after being hit by a car in the Daintree. The bird was struck and left beside the Cape Kimberley Rd, north of the Daintree River, sparking fresh pleas from Queensland Parks and Wildlife rangers for drivers to slow down and be extra cautious on rainforest roads. Senior ranger Tina Alderson said the dead bird was found by a Daintree resident last week. Its death follows a vehicle strike near Mission Beach, south of Cairns, which killed an adult cassowary several weeks ago.
The areas are known for cassowary warning signs. "The chick was found just beyond signage warning motorists of cassowaries in the area," Ms Alderson said. "It weighed about 4kg and would have still been with its father." She urged motorists to "do their bit" for conservation of the bird, which is listed as endangered. People can report dead cassowaries in the Daintree region to Queensland Parks and Wildlife 's Mossman office on 4098 2188, and in other areas on 1300 130 372. * Cairns Post
The areas are known for cassowary warning signs. "The chick was found just beyond signage warning motorists of cassowaries in the area," Ms Alderson said. "It weighed about 4kg and would have still been with its father." She urged motorists to "do their bit" for conservation of the bird, which is listed as endangered. People can report dead cassowaries in the Daintree region to Queensland Parks and Wildlife 's Mossman office on 4098 2188, and in other areas on 1300 130 372. * Cairns Post
Monday, November 16, 2009
Muttonbirds 12/11/09
More Dead Muttonbirds
Thousands of muttonbirds - upon arriving in Australia to breed - have been found dead along the Victorian and NSW coasts in the past two weeks. The birds, properly known as short-tailed shearwaters, probably died from exhaustion and malnutrition following their migratory flight to Australia from the Arctic Pacific. The Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment said about 1000 shearwaters were found washed up between Portland and Apollo Bay. A Government spokesman said the DSE had ''taken samples and performed autopsies on some of the birds''. A Warrnambool-based DSE officer has reportedly suggested a shortage of fish caused the birds to starve. The situation along the Great Ocean Road has been complicated by a red algal bloom that is being blamed for the deaths of a variety of bird species, including cormorants. Dead fish have also been reported by concerned members of the public.
Meanwhile, National Parks and Wildlife Service officers in NSW have concluded that the hundreds of shearwaters that perished on the Central Coast last week succumbed to exhaustion on the final leg of their 30,000-kilometre round trip from the top of the world. Bird experts say there is a natural cull each year of older and inexperienced younger birds, but not often in numbers that cause alarm to the public. Rob Farnes, a Birds Australia observer based in Portland, said he found 86 dead birds on a three-kilometre walk along the coast two days ago. In previous years he has picked up hundreds of shearwaters, but that was over 16 kilometres. ''And I've never seen them inside the harbour before,'' he said. * Age
Crashlanding Birds
Drivers on New Zealand's south island are having to dodge birds which have begun crash-landing on roads. Hutton's shearwaters spend half of the year in Tasmania, then fly to New Zealand to lay their eggs. On the Kaikoura coast, near Christchurch, the sea birds are mistaking roads for flat expanses of water. Park Ranger Mike Morrissey says large numbers are crash landing on the bitumen. "It varies a lot, we've had up to 50 odd in one night," he said. He says the birds are being confused by bright lights. "Round town they're hitting buildings and the hard surfaces." The ranger says luckily, most of the birds have not been hurt, just stunned. *ABC
Thousands of muttonbirds - upon arriving in Australia to breed - have been found dead along the Victorian and NSW coasts in the past two weeks. The birds, properly known as short-tailed shearwaters, probably died from exhaustion and malnutrition following their migratory flight to Australia from the Arctic Pacific. The Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment said about 1000 shearwaters were found washed up between Portland and Apollo Bay. A Government spokesman said the DSE had ''taken samples and performed autopsies on some of the birds''. A Warrnambool-based DSE officer has reportedly suggested a shortage of fish caused the birds to starve. The situation along the Great Ocean Road has been complicated by a red algal bloom that is being blamed for the deaths of a variety of bird species, including cormorants. Dead fish have also been reported by concerned members of the public.
Meanwhile, National Parks and Wildlife Service officers in NSW have concluded that the hundreds of shearwaters that perished on the Central Coast last week succumbed to exhaustion on the final leg of their 30,000-kilometre round trip from the top of the world. Bird experts say there is a natural cull each year of older and inexperienced younger birds, but not often in numbers that cause alarm to the public. Rob Farnes, a Birds Australia observer based in Portland, said he found 86 dead birds on a three-kilometre walk along the coast two days ago. In previous years he has picked up hundreds of shearwaters, but that was over 16 kilometres. ''And I've never seen them inside the harbour before,'' he said. * Age
Crashlanding Birds
Drivers on New Zealand's south island are having to dodge birds which have begun crash-landing on roads. Hutton's shearwaters spend half of the year in Tasmania, then fly to New Zealand to lay their eggs. On the Kaikoura coast, near Christchurch, the sea birds are mistaking roads for flat expanses of water. Park Ranger Mike Morrissey says large numbers are crash landing on the bitumen. "It varies a lot, we've had up to 50 odd in one night," he said. He says the birds are being confused by bright lights. "Round town they're hitting buildings and the hard surfaces." The ranger says luckily, most of the birds have not been hurt, just stunned. *ABC
Monday, November 2, 2009
Ducks Shot in S.A.
The Belair Park Golf Club has copped an angry backlash from people across the country following its controversial wood duck cull. About 30 ducks were killed by a registered duck shooter earlier this month to cut back the unusually high numbers plaguing the golfing greens, under a permit granted by the National Parks and Wildlife. One of the club's directors Ron Marshall said he'd been bombarded by ``at least 50 emails from people all over the country'' angered at the cull after reading about it on adelaidenow.com.au ``I was also abused over the phone by a woman from Victoria,'' he said. ``Everyone jumps on the bandwagon but most people don't understand what's going on and that the (Belair) National Park supported us in this.'' Mr Marshall said he responded to each email, explaining the reasons for the cull and received ``understanding'' replies. ``It's the first time we've done it in the five years we've been here and we won't be doing it again.
``The major thing people have to understand is that it was an occupational health and safety hazard with people walking into the restaurant with duck faeces on their shoes and little babies crawling along the floor picking it up and putting it in their mouths. ``You're the devil if you do and the devil if you don't.'' Mr Marshall said the cull was a ``last resort'' after rubber snakes and eagle kites - aimed to scare off the ducks - and Duck Off herbicide failed to work. `We've saved more ducks than we've destroyed. Last year alone we would have saved 50 or 60 birds and some koalas by taking them to the (Belair National Park).''
A spokesman for the Department of Environment and Heritage, who issued the permit, said the culling of 40 ducks was approved ``to encourage the broader population to move to other areas''. Bev Langley, from the Cherry Gardens Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre, said the cull was ``disappointing but bound to happen''. ``It's just an unfortunate thing, sometimes people and animals do clash,'' she said. Friends of Belair National Park president Mike Cerchez said he didn't see ``a big issue'' with the cull. ``The wood ducks are native but they're not rare and they had permission,'' he said. A group of concerned residents was expected to hold a demonstration at the entrance of the golf club on Saturday, October 24, after the paper's deadline. Organiser Sally Sutton, of Hawthorndene, said she expected a ``strong turnout'' after emailing up to 100 people and putting up posters in Blackwood. *Hills Valley Messenger
``The major thing people have to understand is that it was an occupational health and safety hazard with people walking into the restaurant with duck faeces on their shoes and little babies crawling along the floor picking it up and putting it in their mouths. ``You're the devil if you do and the devil if you don't.'' Mr Marshall said the cull was a ``last resort'' after rubber snakes and eagle kites - aimed to scare off the ducks - and Duck Off herbicide failed to work. `We've saved more ducks than we've destroyed. Last year alone we would have saved 50 or 60 birds and some koalas by taking them to the (Belair National Park).''
A spokesman for the Department of Environment and Heritage, who issued the permit, said the culling of 40 ducks was approved ``to encourage the broader population to move to other areas''. Bev Langley, from the Cherry Gardens Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre, said the cull was ``disappointing but bound to happen''. ``It's just an unfortunate thing, sometimes people and animals do clash,'' she said. Friends of Belair National Park president Mike Cerchez said he didn't see ``a big issue'' with the cull. ``The wood ducks are native but they're not rare and they had permission,'' he said. A group of concerned residents was expected to hold a demonstration at the entrance of the golf club on Saturday, October 24, after the paper's deadline. Organiser Sally Sutton, of Hawthorndene, said she expected a ``strong turnout'' after emailing up to 100 people and putting up posters in Blackwood. *Hills Valley Messenger
Muttonbirds
Mutton birds in the midst of their annual migration are crashing onto NSW beaches because of exhaustion, warns a wildlife rescue group. The NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service says it has been inundated with exhausted birds, mainly short-tailed shearwaters, or Tasmanian mutton birds as they are known. These ``wanderers of the sea'' make one of the longest annual trips of any bird species, skirting around the Pacific Ocean for about six or seven months. The rescue group said it was caring for birds that had been rescued from Sydney's beaches.
``Many are exhausted from the long migration and crash onto suburban and city beaches before they reach home,'' the group said. ``In some years many hundreds of birds can be found dead or dying on beaches right along the coast of NSW.'' The group said mortality rates during migration can be very high, with up to 1600 birds dying per kilometre in particularly bad years. However, it said the short-tailed shearwater was among the world's most populous birds. There was no cause for alarm as it was a process of ``natural mortality'', the group said. `The gruelling migration is perhaps nature's way of sorting the weak from the strong,'' it said. *SMH
Ed Comment; Actually WIRES is wrong. Shearwater numbers are believed to be very low, and in Tasmania they are still legally hunted and eaten.
``Many are exhausted from the long migration and crash onto suburban and city beaches before they reach home,'' the group said. ``In some years many hundreds of birds can be found dead or dying on beaches right along the coast of NSW.'' The group said mortality rates during migration can be very high, with up to 1600 birds dying per kilometre in particularly bad years. However, it said the short-tailed shearwater was among the world's most populous birds. There was no cause for alarm as it was a process of ``natural mortality'', the group said. `The gruelling migration is perhaps nature's way of sorting the weak from the strong,'' it said. *SMH
Ed Comment; Actually WIRES is wrong. Shearwater numbers are believed to be very low, and in Tasmania they are still legally hunted and eaten.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Magpie Geese
While writing a story about Australian magpie geese recently, I was reminded of once a few years ago when a rural neighbor of mine couldnt get a Permit to shoot magpie geese. He claimed they were eating the grass he needed for his cattle. So he purchased a gas powered cannon and placed it at the edge of the lake. This cannon went of at irregular intervals (day and night, to the chagrin of the neighbors) to frighten the magpie geese away.
Within a couple of weeks the geese were perching on the cannon, not the least bit afraid of the noise. Then we received some heavy rain, the lake came up and covered the gas-powered cannon, the lake water got into the works, and it blew itself up. Very sad, but the neighbors had a barbeque to celebrate. *Pat OBrien
Within a couple of weeks the geese were perching on the cannon, not the least bit afraid of the noise. Then we received some heavy rain, the lake came up and covered the gas-powered cannon, the lake water got into the works, and it blew itself up. Very sad, but the neighbors had a barbeque to celebrate. *Pat OBrien
Rooks and Crows
Aesop was quite the fable-teller, but was he a student of bird behavior as well? A study in Current Biology suggests he might have been. Christopher Bird of the University of Cambridge and Nathan J. Emery of Queen Mary University of London report that rooks, a relative of the crow, are able to use stones to raise the level of water in a container so they can reach a floating worm. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s similar to Aesop’s fable about the crow and the pitcher, in which a thirsty bird adds stones to raise the water level in a pitcher in order to drink from it. Crows, rooks and other corvids are known for their tool use — using sticks as probes, for example, or fashioning hooks out of wire. Dr. Bird, who studies corvid behavior, knew of a 1980s study in which a rook plugged a hole in its aviary to allow a pool of water to form. That led him to wonder if a corvid could do what is described in the fable.
They experimented with four captive rooks, presenting them with a clear tube partly filled with water with a bug floating on top, and a pile of stones. In one variant, the starting height of the water changed from trial to trial. In another, the birds had a choice of two sizes of stone. The birds quickly caught on, and within a couple of trials had figured out how many stones they needed to bring the bug within reach. “It was a remarkable combination of some understanding of the task with really rapid learning,” Dr. Bird said. The findings were published in Current Biology. Rooks don’t use tools in the wild, because they don’t need to — they have easy access to food like carrion. But in captivity, they can be presented with a situation like this, where it pays to figure out how to perform a task. “This fits nicely with Aesop’s moral,” Dr. Bird said, “that necessity is the mother of invention.”
The researchers suggested that Aesop (or whoever came up with the fable, since the stories are thought to have many origins) may have seen similar behavior in a crow. Or perhaps, Dr. Bird said, it was a rook. “In folklore all members of the corvid family are just called crow,” he said. “So it might just as easily have been Aesop’s rook.” *New York Times
They experimented with four captive rooks, presenting them with a clear tube partly filled with water with a bug floating on top, and a pile of stones. In one variant, the starting height of the water changed from trial to trial. In another, the birds had a choice of two sizes of stone. The birds quickly caught on, and within a couple of trials had figured out how many stones they needed to bring the bug within reach. “It was a remarkable combination of some understanding of the task with really rapid learning,” Dr. Bird said. The findings were published in Current Biology. Rooks don’t use tools in the wild, because they don’t need to — they have easy access to food like carrion. But in captivity, they can be presented with a situation like this, where it pays to figure out how to perform a task. “This fits nicely with Aesop’s moral,” Dr. Bird said, “that necessity is the mother of invention.”
The researchers suggested that Aesop (or whoever came up with the fable, since the stories are thought to have many origins) may have seen similar behavior in a crow. Or perhaps, Dr. Bird said, it was a rook. “In folklore all members of the corvid family are just called crow,” he said. “So it might just as easily have been Aesop’s rook.” *New York Times
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Birdstrike!
No injuries were reported among the 140 passengers and five crewmembers aboard the MD-80 jetliner bound from Lambert-St. LouisInternational Airport to Los Angeles on Wednesday. An American spokeswoman says the pilot noticed a bird, believedto be a red-tailed hawk, flying into the right engine as the planetook off.
The plane landed a few minutes later. The passengers andcrew later flew to Los Angeles on another plane. Bird-aircraft collisions are not unusual. However, they havereceived added scrutiny since a US Airways flight ditched into theHudson River in January after hitting a flock of Canada geese. Allaboard survived. *AP
The plane landed a few minutes later. The passengers andcrew later flew to Los Angeles on another plane. Bird-aircraft collisions are not unusual. However, they havereceived added scrutiny since a US Airways flight ditched into theHudson River in January after hitting a flock of Canada geese. Allaboard survived. *AP
Gouldian Finch bounces Back!
Gouldian Finch
The endangered Gouldian finch is back breeding at Mareeba. A recent sighting of a tagged finch feeding along the Barron River has given conservationists fresh hope the brightly coloured bird was breeding in the region after 50 years. Before the 1960s, the finch was a common sight in Australia's tropical savannahs and as far east as the Clohesy River between Kuranda and Mareeba but numbers have hit catastrophic lows. Wildlife Conservancy of Tropical Queensland spokesperson Gwyneth Nevard said numbers in the wild were now believed to be as low as 2500. "For several years staff and volunteers of the conservancy at the Mareeba Wetlands have been breeding and releasing the critically endangered finch into the wild, relying on locals and birders to report sightings," she said. Ms Nevard said not only had the birds survived in the wild for nearly two years but the presence of unbranded juveniles proves they are breeding. The Gouldian finch is easily identified by its green back, yellow and white underparts and sky-blue rump. Males have a purple breast and the females pink and the head is usually black but it can also be red or orange. Anyone spotting a Gouldian finch is urged to call the Wildlife Conservancy of Tropical Queensland on 040 893 303. *Cairns Post
Meanwhile a new study has found that the pied flycather calls up a mob of other flycachers to drive an intruding bird away, but remembers the birds who helped, and repays each bird in kind. Apparently some birds have even learned that “play¬ing nice pays.” http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/080706_flycatcher.htm
The endangered Gouldian finch is back breeding at Mareeba. A recent sighting of a tagged finch feeding along the Barron River has given conservationists fresh hope the brightly coloured bird was breeding in the region after 50 years. Before the 1960s, the finch was a common sight in Australia's tropical savannahs and as far east as the Clohesy River between Kuranda and Mareeba but numbers have hit catastrophic lows. Wildlife Conservancy of Tropical Queensland spokesperson Gwyneth Nevard said numbers in the wild were now believed to be as low as 2500. "For several years staff and volunteers of the conservancy at the Mareeba Wetlands have been breeding and releasing the critically endangered finch into the wild, relying on locals and birders to report sightings," she said. Ms Nevard said not only had the birds survived in the wild for nearly two years but the presence of unbranded juveniles proves they are breeding. The Gouldian finch is easily identified by its green back, yellow and white underparts and sky-blue rump. Males have a purple breast and the females pink and the head is usually black but it can also be red or orange. Anyone spotting a Gouldian finch is urged to call the Wildlife Conservancy of Tropical Queensland on 040 893 303. *Cairns Post
Meanwhile a new study has found that the pied flycather calls up a mob of other flycachers to drive an intruding bird away, but remembers the birds who helped, and repays each bird in kind. Apparently some birds have even learned that “play¬ing nice pays.” http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/080706_flycatcher.htm
A New Songbird!
New Songbird Found
A bald-headed songbird with a pink, nearly featherless face and distinctive calls has just been found in a rugged region of Laos, according to scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Melbourne who made the discovery. Aside from its unique characteristics, the avian is noteworthy because it is the only known bald songbird in Asia. The find additionally marks the first description in over 100 years of a new Asian species of bulbul, since the songbird has been placed in that family of birds. This bulbul was named Pycnonotus hualon, with "hualon" being the Lao word for "bald-headed." Hardly a shy and retiring bird, the bald-headed bulbul foraged and noisily moved about the researchers during the day, making them wonder how this eye-catching bird went undiscovered for so long. "Certainly one reason is that the bird appears to be truly restricted to some very harsh and inaccessible terrain in Indochina," Peter Clyne told Discovery News. Clyne is the assistant director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Asia Program. Funded by a local copper and gold mining company, researchers Iain Woxvold, Will Duckworth and Rob Timmins recently surveyed birds at Pha Lom, a limestone outcrop in Laos. That's when the bald-headed beauty caught their eye. "The bird had alighted directly overhead in a small, leafless tree, where it remained for two to three minutes, feeding casually on small fruits and cocking its head to gain a clear view of the observer," the researchers report in the latest issue of Forktail, the journal of the Oriental Bird Club. Before long, the songbird was "joined by another, similar bird. The duo flew off soon after." *MSNBC
A bald-headed songbird with a pink, nearly featherless face and distinctive calls has just been found in a rugged region of Laos, according to scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Melbourne who made the discovery. Aside from its unique characteristics, the avian is noteworthy because it is the only known bald songbird in Asia. The find additionally marks the first description in over 100 years of a new Asian species of bulbul, since the songbird has been placed in that family of birds. This bulbul was named Pycnonotus hualon, with "hualon" being the Lao word for "bald-headed." Hardly a shy and retiring bird, the bald-headed bulbul foraged and noisily moved about the researchers during the day, making them wonder how this eye-catching bird went undiscovered for so long. "Certainly one reason is that the bird appears to be truly restricted to some very harsh and inaccessible terrain in Indochina," Peter Clyne told Discovery News. Clyne is the assistant director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Asia Program. Funded by a local copper and gold mining company, researchers Iain Woxvold, Will Duckworth and Rob Timmins recently surveyed birds at Pha Lom, a limestone outcrop in Laos. That's when the bald-headed beauty caught their eye. "The bird had alighted directly overhead in a small, leafless tree, where it remained for two to three minutes, feeding casually on small fruits and cocking its head to gain a clear view of the observer," the researchers report in the latest issue of Forktail, the journal of the Oriental Bird Club. Before long, the songbird was "joined by another, similar bird. The duo flew off soon after." *MSNBC
Sparrows and Parrots
Dead Sparrows
A mysterious decline in Hobart's sparrow population requires prompt analysis, a wildlife expert said yesterday. Veterinarian David Obendorf urged people who discover newly dead sparrows to collect the carcasses and deliver them to authorities. He said the Department of Primary Industries and Water needed to conduct autopsies on the birds to determine whether they were suffering toxic reactions or viral infections. Dr Obendorf said it was imperative Tasmania investigated the cause of the decline because other species, including livestock, could be affected. "I suggest people, if they know the birds are freshly dead, contact the Department of Primary Industries and Water and ensure there is a post-mortem," he said. Bird watchers around Hobart have recently noticed a large decline in the city's sparrow population.
Bird lovers at Sandy Bay, Kingston, Blackmans Bay, Coningham and Mt Nelson want to know why sparrows are no longer thriving in backyards and are being found dead on the ground. Dr Obendorf said people could not be complacent about the deaths simply because sparrows were an introduced species. "We need to take this seriously, especially if there are reports from a number of quarters of mass mortalities." He said it was impossible to know whether the deaths were related to Newcastle Disease, which usually affects domestic poultry flocks and is not thought to be present in Tasmania. Dr Obendorf said questions were also being raised in Northern Europe where a range of songbirds -- including sparrows, starlings and blackbirds -- were dying in large numbers.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in London last week launched a "Save Our Sparrows" campaign in response to a huge decline in bird numbers. Dr Obendorf said the fragile status of the birds in Northern Europe placed greater importance on Australia's sparrow population. He said Australia could not simply disregard the birds as pests and must safeguard them if they were being wiped out in other countries. Birds Tasmania chairman Eric Woehler said sparrow numbers could be down because of Tasmania's cold and wet winter. "The conditions may have resulted in a reduction in food for the birds," he said. *Mercury
Swift Parrots
The State's Premier Nathan Rees is being asked to intervene to stop logging at a New South Wales Far South Coast forest after sightings of an endangered bird species. The Greens say the swift parrot has been reported in the Bermagui forest, which is set to be logged in coming weeks. The rare blossom-feeding birds are using the forest to find food on their annual migration from the Tasmania's eucalypt forests. Greens Upper House Member of Parliament, Lee Rhiannon, wants the Premier to ensure Forests New South Wales does nothing to disrupt or destroy the area where the birds are feeding. "Normally the birds migrate further inland before they come to the coast and sometimes they even reach Queensland," she said. "It is a very significant development considering there's so few of these species left. "Logging of its winter feeding habitat near Bermagui is simply unacceptable." *ABC
A mysterious decline in Hobart's sparrow population requires prompt analysis, a wildlife expert said yesterday. Veterinarian David Obendorf urged people who discover newly dead sparrows to collect the carcasses and deliver them to authorities. He said the Department of Primary Industries and Water needed to conduct autopsies on the birds to determine whether they were suffering toxic reactions or viral infections. Dr Obendorf said it was imperative Tasmania investigated the cause of the decline because other species, including livestock, could be affected. "I suggest people, if they know the birds are freshly dead, contact the Department of Primary Industries and Water and ensure there is a post-mortem," he said. Bird watchers around Hobart have recently noticed a large decline in the city's sparrow population.
Bird lovers at Sandy Bay, Kingston, Blackmans Bay, Coningham and Mt Nelson want to know why sparrows are no longer thriving in backyards and are being found dead on the ground. Dr Obendorf said people could not be complacent about the deaths simply because sparrows were an introduced species. "We need to take this seriously, especially if there are reports from a number of quarters of mass mortalities." He said it was impossible to know whether the deaths were related to Newcastle Disease, which usually affects domestic poultry flocks and is not thought to be present in Tasmania. Dr Obendorf said questions were also being raised in Northern Europe where a range of songbirds -- including sparrows, starlings and blackbirds -- were dying in large numbers.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in London last week launched a "Save Our Sparrows" campaign in response to a huge decline in bird numbers. Dr Obendorf said the fragile status of the birds in Northern Europe placed greater importance on Australia's sparrow population. He said Australia could not simply disregard the birds as pests and must safeguard them if they were being wiped out in other countries. Birds Tasmania chairman Eric Woehler said sparrow numbers could be down because of Tasmania's cold and wet winter. "The conditions may have resulted in a reduction in food for the birds," he said. *Mercury
Swift Parrots
The State's Premier Nathan Rees is being asked to intervene to stop logging at a New South Wales Far South Coast forest after sightings of an endangered bird species. The Greens say the swift parrot has been reported in the Bermagui forest, which is set to be logged in coming weeks. The rare blossom-feeding birds are using the forest to find food on their annual migration from the Tasmania's eucalypt forests. Greens Upper House Member of Parliament, Lee Rhiannon, wants the Premier to ensure Forests New South Wales does nothing to disrupt or destroy the area where the birds are feeding. "Normally the birds migrate further inland before they come to the coast and sometimes they even reach Queensland," she said. "It is a very significant development considering there's so few of these species left. "Logging of its winter feeding habitat near Bermagui is simply unacceptable." *ABC
Geese and Eagles
Magpie Geese Hunting
Non-Indigenous hunters of magpie geese will be banned from using lead shot this year, the Northern Territory Department of Parks and Wildlife says. The magpie geese hunting season begins on September 1 and will run until the end of the year. Department spokesman Brett Easton says lead shot has been restricted for some time and this year it is being extended to water fowl hunting. "It's well recognised the impacts of lead and what impacts that can have on the health of the actual bird population," he said. "At the end of the day it's really important for the hunters. "We don't want to see an accumulation of lead in the system." The secretary of NT Field and Game, George Hennessy, agrees lead shot should be banned over wetlands, but not over other areas. He also says Indigenous shooters should have the same restrictions. "Not only should non-Indigenous hunters be required to observe a non-toxic shot in wetlands but so should Indigenous shooters for the health issues alone," Mr Hennessy said. "And we actually believe that the Government has a duty of care to non-Indigenous shooters to look after their health too." Parks and Wildlife says a new management plan for magpie geese is expected to to be publicly released in mid August.
Golden Eagles
Ambitious plans to bring Golden Eagles back to Ireland have been guaranteed for the next two years, it was revealed today. Scottish conservationists will continue to support the project by supplying chicks despite a series of poisonings in Donegal, Kerry and Wicklow. In the last years five White-tailed Eagles, one Golden Eagle and two Red Kites have been poisoned and experts believe several more birds were also victims of killer bait and their bodies not recovered. Officials in Scotland said they will donate seven more chicks this year bringing the total number of Golden Eagles released in Donegal to 65. Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe, director of science and biodiversity for the Irish National Parks and Wildlife Service, welcomed the move. “I have been pleased to contribute to this review, and reiterate my thanks to Scotland for providing us with Golden Eagles to continue this massively important project,” he said. *IOL
Non-Indigenous hunters of magpie geese will be banned from using lead shot this year, the Northern Territory Department of Parks and Wildlife says. The magpie geese hunting season begins on September 1 and will run until the end of the year. Department spokesman Brett Easton says lead shot has been restricted for some time and this year it is being extended to water fowl hunting. "It's well recognised the impacts of lead and what impacts that can have on the health of the actual bird population," he said. "At the end of the day it's really important for the hunters. "We don't want to see an accumulation of lead in the system." The secretary of NT Field and Game, George Hennessy, agrees lead shot should be banned over wetlands, but not over other areas. He also says Indigenous shooters should have the same restrictions. "Not only should non-Indigenous hunters be required to observe a non-toxic shot in wetlands but so should Indigenous shooters for the health issues alone," Mr Hennessy said. "And we actually believe that the Government has a duty of care to non-Indigenous shooters to look after their health too." Parks and Wildlife says a new management plan for magpie geese is expected to to be publicly released in mid August.
Golden Eagles
Ambitious plans to bring Golden Eagles back to Ireland have been guaranteed for the next two years, it was revealed today. Scottish conservationists will continue to support the project by supplying chicks despite a series of poisonings in Donegal, Kerry and Wicklow. In the last years five White-tailed Eagles, one Golden Eagle and two Red Kites have been poisoned and experts believe several more birds were also victims of killer bait and their bodies not recovered. Officials in Scotland said they will donate seven more chicks this year bringing the total number of Golden Eagles released in Donegal to 65. Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe, director of science and biodiversity for the Irish National Parks and Wildlife Service, welcomed the move. “I have been pleased to contribute to this review, and reiterate my thanks to Scotland for providing us with Golden Eagles to continue this massively important project,” he said. *IOL
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