wvenable@spam.ua.oz (Bill Venables) (01/03/91)
Over the break I did a bit of birding in and around a large commercial Radiata Pine forest here in southern Australia. I was always led to believe that the non-native Pine forests in Australia were ecological wastelands. However the native birds, at least, were quite numerous and evidently using the niche quite well; for example Yellow- tailed Black Cockatoos and Crimson Rosellas. (Of course there were also the introduced species, particularly European Blackbirds, Greenfinches and Goldfinches which, unfortunately, were abundant). At one point I spotted a Peregrine Falcon perched on a pine tree well inside the forest, calmly preening itself and more-or-less being ignored by all the birds around. This rather surprised me, since I had always thought of Peregrines as birds of rocky ledges and outcrops - but this was dead flat country with no hills in sight. Do Peregrines occur in pine forests elsewhere in the world? -- Bill Venables, Dept. of Statistics, | Email: venables@spam.adelaide.edu.au Univ. of Adelaide, South Australia. | Phone: +61 8 228 5412
andrewt@cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) (01/03/91)
In article <467@spam.ua.oz> wvenable@spam.ua.oz (Bill Venables) writes: > I was always led to believe that the non-native Pine forests in Australia > were ecological wastelands. However the native birds, at least, were quite > numerous and evidently using the niche quite well; for example Yellow- > tailed Black Cockatoos and Crimson Rosellas. It certainly a myth that radiata pine plantations in Australia are sterile. I've seen at least 30 species of birds in radiata plantations including some suprises: Lyrebird, Australian Ground Thrush and Wonga Pigeon. Also a suprising number of mammals enter the plantations including wombats and an assortment of macropods. I'm been told, though I doubt it, that Koala have been seen munching on radiata pine. The problem is that the species which enter radiata plantations are generally well conserved anyway whereas the specialist species in need of conservation don't make use of the plantations. I expect the use of plantations by native species has been increasing in recent years has they shift into the niches available just as native birds are shifting into urban niches. > This rather surprised me, since I had always thought > of Peregrines as birds of rocky ledges and outcrops - but this was dead > flat country with no hills in sight. Do Peregrines occur in pine forests > elsewhere in the world? In Australia, in the absence of cliffs, peregrines will nest on the ground. They will do occur in pine forests near cliffs elsewhere in the world though open country is more usual. Andrew