Just back from a weekend birding at Cordalba SF... which includes good sites for Shrike-tits, Spotted QT, Barking Owl and Barn Owl. Sorry I never have photos to show, I'm not a photographer. Well, we started by birding around the lakes... nothing special, jacanas, Australian Reed-warbler (although there's supposed to be Freckled Ducks). Then went down a great little track which saw ST Kite, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Dusky Woodswallow, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Fuscous HE and many others. Later in the arvo, I flushed a Barn Owl from its hollow! Sunday... saw Great Cormorant, Restless Flycatcher (at the dams). Unusually, a flock of Budgies turned up! Tracked down a couple of Barking Owls at a creek where they often breed... We were joined by more people on Sunday so we went and flushed the same Barn Owl from the same hollow... seemed to be a reliable spot? Not any more, I suppose... the owl probably isn't going back to that hollow again. We also discovered a Striated Pardalote nest and a nest with fledgling Whistling Kites.
Nothing special you say... Nothing special, only jacanas...
Sounds like a great site!
When you say:
...we went and flushed the same Barn Owl from the same hollow... seemed to be a reliable spot? Not any more, I suppose... the owl probably isn't going back to that hollow again
??? what exactly do you mean? What exactly did you do? If you say: the Owl probably isn't going back to that hollow again.
I hope I'm wrong here, but I worry about this. So you and others scared an Owl , so much she might abandon her hollow?
It's not as if there were old hollow trees on every corner.
Can you please explain a bit more about this?
M-L
I so hope you didn't disturb the Whistling Kites fledglings in the nest???
M-L
I'm wondering the same things as M-L! I don't understand what (positive) benefit, for you or the Barn Owl, there is flushing it from it's home? Once by accident I can understand, but a second time, deliberately???
I hope for the Owl's sake I've misunderstood.
West Coast Tasmania
I think it's important to know what species exist in an area so that trends can be detected & managment plans can be made to ensure a healthy natural environment. However, I favour the minimum disturbance approach to the natural environment (hence my antipathy to bulldozers in scrub & forests) and am rather perplexed about the deliberate flushing of birds from their habitats.
What are you saying Woko? Sounds a lot like the reasons Japanese Whalers try to convince the rest of the world with, (not me), they were doing it for research??
They were not disturbing the Owl for research? Or did I miss that bit? They were birders flushing out Owls for their own agenda as it seams. I'm still hoping to get an explanation, I do hope I misunderstood? And I hope the Owl in the hollow was not sitting on any eggs that she might have abandoned now?
M-L
Woko said:
I think it's important to know what species exist in an area so that trends can be detected & managment plans can be made to ensure a healthy natural environment.
Should that have been the case, I don't think" flushing out Owls" would be part of any mamagment plan?
Or am I too protective of any wildlife ? Or am I right in thinking , far to many people are simply after their own gratifification?
M-L
I'm joking when I say it won't roost there anymore... I meant in the monologue of the owl, "gee, I'm not sleeping there again." he says. I'm sure he would have returned... If there wasn't sufficient hollows, he would've returned as that's his hollow and in his territory. But, I can assure you that hollows in that forest are almost residetial, in aboundance even! One of my books describes them as being sedentary, terrestrial so There is a very good chance it will still be there. Eventually, though, owls will move on to follow food supply. Also the owls naturaly face dangers from other animals such as predetors which may force them to move on. Birdwatchers, such as me and the rest of the club, account to one of those dangers. You see, the weekend was just one of the outings/campouts that the club holds... It wasn't completely nessecary, but as more people turned up on the sunday for the outing, some people wanted to see the the owl so we showed them. One thing we often forget is that, yes, the environment and ecosystems are delicate, but any individual animal is not - in fact, extremely hardy... If an animal wasn't, how would it survive?
Brandon (aka ihewman)
If Owls "naturaly face danger", I would put the emphasis on "naturaly", to me that means we don't have to put more pressure on top of it. Not sure about when Owls would move to follow food supply, I do believe they stay in the same hollow for a very long time if they can. The statement: the weekend wasn't completely nessecary, doesn't sit well with me though. It reaffirms my belief , never disclose information about nests to anyone you can't trust to do the right thing.
And what a statement, One thing we often forget is that the environment and ecosystem are delicate, but any individual animal is not-in fact , extremely hardy... how would it survive?
Sorry Brandon, they are not extremely hardy... and they don't always survive. If we don't protect their environment , more of them will disappear.
M-L
Brandon (aka ihewman)
Observing bird behaviour in their natural environment is the gospel.
A bit of interaction doesn't harm the birds but 'flushing them out' sounds like hooliganism to me.
You have to ask yourself.. How would I feel if a group of giants flushed me out of my place of residence? (not that it is likely, I haven't seen a giant in a long time although I do know a team of basketballers that are quite intimidating)
I don't think many people would be saying Oh yes I would welcome a large group of giants flushing me out of my place of residence on a regular basis because whatever doesn't kill me only makes me stronger.
You would be straight onto the local police or the landlord (whatever applies) or be buying yourself a large piece of artillery to disuade gargantuan interlopers. Owls can't do these things.
Put yourself in their shoes...err not that they wear shoes, that would be silly... and anyone who says Richman sees giants and owls wearing shoes will get a group of basketballers round their place eating all their... oh I give up I'm just digging a deeper hole. (mutter mutter into beard)
Hi Araminta. What I was saying is that bird watching, particularly to collect data for the purpose of managing an area is OK. E.g., if we detect that a certain feral bird species is showing up in an natural area we might determine that it's advantaged by a certain feral plant that has invaded the natural area. We then have a good idea that getting rid of the feral plant will eliminate the feral bird species thus providing more ecological space for native birds. But I'm also saying that disturbing native birds unnecessarily is a huge risk & your point about the possibility of Brandon's owl sitting on eggs is entirely valid in my opinion. I have a policy of treading as lightly as possible in natural areas & that certainly wouldn't include slapping trees to flush owls.
Hi Brandon. You'll note my use of the term "minimum disturbance". In other words, I agree that if we go into natural areas we will disturb the wildlife to some degree. However, the cautionary principle would require me to tread as lightly as possible. Even seemingly vast natural areas need us to care gently for them as they might be the next site of a coal mine or coal seam gas project.