Should we feed our native birds? The answer is not so simple.
CONSIDER THESE TWO typical Australian garden scenes. In one, a boisterous rainbow lorikeet flock squabbles and squawks over a mass of brilliant crimson bottlebrush blossoms. In the second, a pair of lorikeets nibbles delicately at a pile of minced meat placed on a bird table for magpies, which are looking on warily from a nearby fence.
Before categorising these scenes as either natural versus unnatural or even good versus bad, consider some additional information. That bottlebrush is one of the visually spectacular Callistemon cultivars developed from plants native to Western Australia’s arid interior but manipulated to flower year-round, with blooms twice the normal size and producing much more nectar than usual. It’s heaven for any bird with a ‘sweet tooth’ and lorikeets – as well as miners, wattlebirds and friarbirds – love them. These avian nectar-lovers have rushed en masse into suburbs across the country now festooned with seemingly ‘birdfriendly’ native plants. And they’ve done it to such an extent that rainbow lorikeets have become one of the most abundant bird species in every large city in the country. The notorious noisy miner is another native that’s prospered, to the detriment of countless smaller species. For many of us, planting all those callistemons, grevilleas and banksias supporting this urban avian life was an attempt to provide native bird habitat. In the end, however, we’ve often ended up with plenty of birds but not so much species diversity.
It may not seem like it, but growing these plants is a form of bird-feeding. And it’s promoted and supported by all the relevant bird, conservation, environmental and government agencies, even if they vigorously oppose regular bird-feeding.
ãã®èšäºã¯ Australian Geographic Magazine ã® May - June 2018 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã ?  ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
ãã®èšäºã¯ Australian Geographic Magazine ã® May - June 2018 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã? ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
Loveday Internment Camp, SA A
DURING WORLD WAR II, civilians n Australia deemed \"enemy aliens\" - mostly those of German, Italian and Japanese descent were housed in internment camps.
THE STORYTELLERS OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
More than 100 dedicated Master Reef Guides are sharing the GBR's most important stories with visitors in a bid to inspire its greater protection.
A BEAUTIFUL DISASTER
Does last summer's mass coral bleaching event sound a death knell for Australia's beloved Great Barrier Reef? \"Not on my watch!\" is the message coming from he army of heartbroken, but resolute, marine scientists who've responded to the crisis by doubling down on their research.
AROUND AUSTRALIA IN 44 DAYS
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first aerial circumnavigation of Australia. Aviator Michael Smith retraces the flight in his unique amphibious flying boat, Southern Sun, starting and finishing at RAAF Base Point Cook, on Melbourne's Port Phillip, taking in 15,000km of vast, diverse and stunning coastline in between.
CLEAR-CUTTING KOALA COUNTRY
More than 3000sq.km of forests on NSW's Mid North Coast have been earmarked for the Great Koala National Park. But there's still work to be done before this proposed reserve becomes the safe haven koalas desperately need.
MORE THAN QUOKKAS
Sure, you can't avoid those cute little marsupials that made Rottnest Island world-famous, but there's so much more to life on this ocean-ringed jewel off the Western Australian coast.
A WILD POLO TUSSLE
It's an event reminiscent of a Banjo Paterson poem. For 35 years, in the High Country 200km east of Melbourne, city polo players have gathered annually at Cobungra, Victoria's largest cattle station, to vie with a rural team for the Dinner Plain Polo Cup.
Ancient know-how meets a modern challenge
Contemporary marine park management is infused with traditional knowledge to tackle new threats on the Great Barrier Reef.
LOOKING FOR TJAKURA
The search is on across Australia's deserts for a culturally important vulnerable lizard.
RESCUING THE CHUDITCH
After intensive planning, recovery for this endangered marsupial species is being stepped up to secure its future.