Hi all,
The record hot weather has been prominent in the news today, with roundups about 2013 being the hottest year on record in Australia, and with various locations in Oz reaching 48C today.
This got me wondering about how hot it has to be before birds start simply dropping dead from the heat, which led me to this illuminating (and worrying) article:
http://www.birdlife.org.au/australian-birdlife/detail/the-heat-is-on
Many of you are probably aware of mass bird deaths attributed to extremely hot weather that have been reported in the mainstream media in the past.
For example, in January 2009, near Canarvon WA, many thousands of Budgies died while seeking shade and water at the Overlander Roadhouse (the proprietor of the roadhouse was adamant that the number of dead birds was actually in the millions. Whatever the real number was, it seems safe to conclude that it was terribly large).
And in January 2010, more than 200 Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos died as a direct result of a ~47C heatwave in Hopetoun WA.
Meanwhile, in my backyard (in central-west NSW), I've been seeing lots of visibly heat-stressed birds (panting, and wing-spreading).
I've recently added a second bird bath to my garden - a very shallow one especially for the smallest birds. As it happens, the littlies (wrens, thornbills, and silvereyes) seem very happy to use both baths, and yesterday evening I had one black cockie drinking from each bath. So, all in all, both baths seem to be much appreciated by lots of birds (I received my first visit from a Noisy Friarbird this morning).
I'd love the general public to be more aware of the very serious risk to birds from heatwave weather, so I made up the attached image this arvo (the photo is mine, taken in my backyard).
I'd love to receive feedback here before setting this loose on my Facebook friends, and asking them to share it.
So, can anyone see any problem with this message, or how I've communicated it?
Comments and suggestions gratefully accepted, and if you happen to think it's a good idea, please copy and share it on your social networks (perhaps after waiting for any feedback here).
I think that's a great message Samantha. We are in the high 30's today (S'shine coast) and my birdbath is getting lots of use. Its not hard to put out a bird bath or two and if it saves the birds' lives well that's a big bonus.
Thanks for the positive feedback Night Parrot!
Go for it, can't see any problems, and by the way a nice photo. Hot is not too much of a problem here in Tasmania, but we provide water one e the less.
Brilliant idea, if we save a few, it will have all been worthwhile.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
I think it is a fantastic message and a great picture.
We topped 43.1 here at Nambour. I kept my bird bath topped up all day. In the later afternoon I had noisy miners and pale headed rosellas enjoying a cool drink. What was eerie was the silence. We usually have constant chatter all day amongst all our birds. They would have been lying low conserving energy.
Wow 43. I am not all that far from Nambour and I am not surprised that it was hotter than the high thirties that I imagined. No wonder the birds were sitting around the birdbaths listless with their mouths open. I could see their little chests breathing in and out quickly; they must indeed have been finding the heat hard going. It is mainly honeyeaters that I get here, some are very small and no doubt their hearts can stand just so much stress. I wonder if any of those birds would have died without a drink and a cool-down in the water. Some were still bathing at dusk but today it is relatively quiet; perhaps they are recuperating.
I have posted the pic on my facebook page. It`s really important to get it out there. I recently convinced a non birdy friend to puy a bird bath and now he is really taking an interest.
Night Parrot where are you located?
Great message. Can I add a few other ideas? If it is that hot, don’t forget to refresh the water regularly as water in a shallow dish heats up quickly. Nice to provide different depth of water for different sizes of birds, I always put a stick in the deaper water, that way the smaller birds can climb up and down and won’t drown. One other thing I do , is to hose down a tree or shrub, that is almost like a bit of rain for a little while. The birds enjoy that a lot.
M-L
And don't forget to take the broad approach & contact your pollies about the urgent need to combat climate change.
Seems like a great idea to me Samantha
Thanks M-L, those are great tips to consider - I'm in the process of setting up a larger bird bath/fish pond/frog pond and I'll take note of the stick idea.
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
It's not just the birds either - the local bees will also take advantage of most bird baths in hot weather, as they flush water through hives to keep them cool (kind of like natural air con).
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
Thanks Tim, after we lost a number of birds that couldn't get out of the horse water troffs, I observed one bird flapping it's wings looking for something to holde onto, I had this stick idea. Works very well. I have seen other people use then.
M-L
Well done Samantha!
We (BirdLife and BIBY) are going to do another media release this week to get out to the public about the importance of providing water for wildlife during such stressful events. Hopefully we will get some interviews and articles from it - that gives us the opportunity to talk in more detail about all the points that you all have mentioned.
Another thing, especially in these areas where temperatures go over 40 degrees - put your birdbath in part shade as the water in a shallow birdbath can get pretty uncomfortably hot by late afternoon. So many people have a birdbath as a 'garden feature' - half of them have no water and half of the rest are in full sun. And please - not the metal ones!
Yes good advice ladybird. I think there are responsibilities that go with a birdbath; keeping them clean and full, shaded in the heat, away from cat ambush, away from feral birds that foul the water, etc. Also I think it helps if a bath is located in full view of a window where one can keep an eye on it. Not always possible I guess, the advantage being that one can more easily watch the birds enjoy themselves, and if the bath is constantly in sight, maybe one is drawn to clean and fill it more often. Commendations to BIBY for promoting birdbaths. I am sure native birds really appreciate them.
Don't forget your pets either
M-L
Thanks everyone for your enthusiastic feedback, and great comments and suggestions.
I shared the cocky picture on Facebook ... and it went down like a lead balloon. The picture received one share, two "likes", and zero comments (whereas if I post a picture of, say, a chocolate cake, I can pretty safely bet on receiving at least a dozen likes, and generating plenty of comments).
On the night that I posted the cocky image, the ABC tv news reported on the deaths of thousands of flying foxes from heat exhaustion in Queensland. The Sydney Morning Herald reported on the same story about the flying foxes, and said that "people are concerned" ... about the dead animals creating a "stink", and fouling up their roofs and water tanks.
This apparent indifference to the suffering of animals makes me feel so cynical about human beings. As I've said before, I'm very glad to belong to this forum which reminds me that at least some people really *do* care about our native birds and other native animals.
Anyway.
Another little handy hint for bird baths is to provide a bath on a tilt to create a generous "beach" and a shallow end for the little birds. I've tilted the bowl of a terracotta bath up on some rocks, and I've found that over time, the little birds have come to significantly prefer the tilted bowl to the other deeper bath - even though both baths do get used by both small and large birds.
I've attached some photos below of some of my favourite regular bathers - the black cockies and the wrens. If only more people appreciated the very profound joy that watching birds splashing around in a bath can bring, I reckon every garden in Australia would have at least two bird baths!
To begin, here's a yellow-tailed black cocky doing a very fine demonstration of Archimedes' principle:
I share your views about the human race
, I'm as cynical as you are.
I also put the bird baths on a slope. Gorgeous photos, thanks for sharing.
M-L
Yes I am also cynical. I'm afraid that the vast majority of people are materialist rather than naturalist. In fact for many, nature isn't even recognised. Sadly I think the people on this forum are a rarity and I can only hope that they can influence the next generation somehow. But the chances are not good with the kids so drawn to the unreal world through media, brand advertising, electronics, etc.
I have a shallow terra cotta birdbath and a deep one just like the one shown. The birds can choose their depth, although I have never seen any little birds that find the "deep end" a problem. Native bees are another matter; they drown easily when collecting water on a hot day. A stone or a slope is a good idea.
In hot weather keep bringing the image out Samantha. I saw a bird bath image pop up numerous times on my FB feed (and have seen the same one previously as well - its not a native bird but still...) - whilst the organisations and individuals sharing it were very caring and maybe not representative of the general public, it was still getting out there.
Coincidently our video producer made a lovely film of a Variegated Fairy-wren bathing that was uploaded yesterday - and it is spreading slowly. I noticed the bath is on a little bit of a lean too
I too have been surprised by the general public's perceptions of and attitudes towards our native birdlife. I recall once admiring a flock of lorikeets feeding in a flowering eucalypt at a former residence only to be informed by a neighbour about how these 'flying rats' should apparently be 'wiped out' because of they are 'too noisy, steal fruit and s%&# everywhere'.