The Birds at my Table

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The Birds at my Table Page 38

by Darryl Jones


  Moho Porphyrio mantelli

  Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus

  Namaqua Dove Oena capensis

  Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala

  Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

  Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos

  North Island Snipe Coenocorypha barrierensis

  Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

  Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis

  Pied Currawong Strepera graculina

  Pink Pigeon Nesoenas mayeri

  Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus

  Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus

  Raven (Common) Corvus corax

  Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio

  Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus

  Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis

  Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis

  Red-crowned Kākāriki (parakeet) Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae

  Red Kite Milvus milvus

  Redwing Turdus iliacus

  Robin (European) Erithacus rubecula

  Rock Dove (feral pigeon) Columba livia

  Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus regina

  Rose-ringed (Ring-necked) Parakeet Psittacula krameri

  Sacred Ibis Threskionis aethiopicus

  Seychelles Magpie-Robin Copsychus sechellarum

  Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus

  Silvereye (White-eye, Waxeye) Zosterops lateralis

  Siskin (European) Spinus spinus

  Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus

  Southern Cassowary Casuarius casuarius

  (Spanish) Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus

  Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti

  Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

  Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis

  Spotted Great Rosefinch Carpodacus rubicella severtzovi

  Starling (European) Sturnus vulgaris

  Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita

  Swamp Sparrow Melospiza geogiana

  Takahē (North Island) Porphyrio mantelli

  Tīeke (North Island Saddleback) Philesturnus rufusater

  Tooth-billed Bowerbird Scenopoeetes dentirostris

  Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor

  Tui Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae

  Varied Tit Sittiparus varius

  Victoria’s Riflebird Ptiloris victoriae

  Wattled Honeyeater Foulehalo carunculatus

  Weka Gallirallus australis

  West Peruvian Dove Zenaida meloda

  Whinchat Saxicola rubetra

  Willow Tit Poecile montanus

  Woodpigeon Columba palumbus

  Mammals

  Common Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecular

  Ferret Mustela putorius furo

  Hedgehog (European) Erinaceus europaeus

  House Mouse Mus musculus

  Kiore (Polynesian rat) Rattus exulans

  Norway Rat Rattus norvegicus

  Polar Bear Ursus maritimus

  Ship (Black) Rat Rattus rattus

  Stoat Mustela erminea

  Weasel Mustela nivalis

  Wild boar Sus scrofa

  NOTES

  Preface

  1. Reliable figures on participation rates are presented in some detail in Chapter 1, but some key references are Cowie and Hinsley 1988a, Lepczyk et al. 2004, Rollinson et al. 2003, and Davies et al. 2012.

  2. Expertly summarized in Baicich et al. 2015 for the United States.

  3. See, for example, Orros and Fellowes 2015.

  4. See Lin 2005.

  1. Why Bird Feeding Matters

  1. Strong antifeeding messages can be found in the literature and on the websites of many Australian organizations, including wildlife rescue and rehabilitation groups, bird societies, and environmental agencies. Some typical examples are www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/KeepingWildlifeWild.htm and www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-27/why-you-should-not-feed-native-birds/7118192. Typical titles include “Why We Don’t Feed the Wildlife,” “If You Care about Wildlife,” “Let Nature Feed Itself,” “Recipe for Disaster: Feed the Animals,” and “Remember, You’re Killing Them with Kindness.” See Jones 2011 for an extensive list of relevant websites.

  2. These ideas are explored vividly by Tim Low in Where Song Began (2014).

  3. See Plant 2008 and Parsons 2008 for discussion of “planting for birds” in Australia.

  4. Tim Low, again, describes this phenomenon expertly in Where Song Began as well as in The New Nature (2002). For more formal evidence, see French et al. 2004 and Parsons et al. 2006.

  5. Carla Catterall (2004) has summarized the unexpected interactions of garden plantings and the birds they attract.

  6. The dramatic increase in the abundance of Rainbow Lorikeets and the ecological implications are described in Smith and Lill 2008, Davis et al. 2011, and Jaggard et al. 2015.

  7. See Low 2014.

  8. See Low 2002.

  9. The diet of urban Australian Magpies is described in Rollinson and Jones 2003, O’Leary and Jones 2006, Ishigame and Baxter 2006, and summarized in Jones 2002.

  10. See Jones 2002 for the full story of the Australian Magpie as an urban success.

  11. See Jones 2002.

  12. The characteristics of species that have successfully invaded the suburban environment are explained and discussed in John Marzluff’s Subirdia (2014); more technical discussions can be found in Marzluff et al. 2001 and Chace and Walsh 2006.

  13. See details mentioned in Note 1.

  14. See Jones and Reynolds 2008.

  15. There are many such sources, but some well-known examples are the websites of the British Trust for Ornithology, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Search for “bird feeding.”

  16. This is the unequivocal stance of almost all North American sources and exemplified by the new book Feeding Wild Birds in America (Baicich, Barker, and Henderson 2015), though Sterba 2012 presents a contrary view.

  17. See, for example, Deis 1982, Bird 1986, and Kobilinsky 2015.

  18. This claim was first made, as far as I can tell, in Jones and Reynolds 2008.

  19. See Cowie and Hinsley 1988a, b.

  20. Memorably described in Eric Rolls’s classic They All Ran Wild (1969).

  21. Published as Jones 1981.

  22. See Thomas 2000.

  23. See Cannon 1999, 288.

  24. See McLees 2001.

  25. See Howard 2006, Howard and Jones 2004, and Rollinson et al. 2003.

  26. See Ishigame and Baxter 2007.

  27. Although the link to this project by the Australian Broadcasting Commission is no longer operating, a description of its aims and procedures can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/wildwatch-australia/3374512.

  28. The New Zealand Garden Bird Survey website is at http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/science/plants-animals-fungi/animals/birds/garden-bird-surveys.

  29. Visit BTO’s Garden BirdWatch at www.bto.org.gbw

  30. For details, see Galbraith et al. 2014.

  31. See Orros and Fellowes 2015.

  32. A component of the study described in Fuller et al. 2008.

  33. See Lepczyk et al. 2012.

  34. The US Fish and Wildlife Service publishes the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. Recent surveys are available at http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/.

  35. See Note 34.

  36. Presented formally in the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) report Working with the Grain of Nature (2002) and reassessed by Fuller et al. 2008.

  37. Data derived from the CityForm surveys were utilized by a consortium of researchers (see Gaston et al. 2007); the relevant information reported here is from Davies et al. 2012.

  38. See Davies et al. 2012.

  39. Similarly described in Gaston et al. 2007 and analyzed by Davies et al. 2012.

  40. See, for example, Baicich et al. 2015.

  4
1. See estimates in Baicich et al. 2015, US Fish and Wildlife Service 2012 for the United States, and the Horticultural Trades Association website for the UK, www.the-hta.org.uk/page.php?pageid=187.

  42. Data from US Fish and Wildlife Service 2012, Baicich et al. 2015, and Glue 2006.

  43. See Galbraith et al. 2014.

  44. See Robb et al. 2008a.

  45. See Orros and Fellowes 2015.

  46. See websites listed in Jones 2011.

  47. Material used for the original article (Sterba 2002) was recycled in the book Nature Wars (Sterba 2015) with, disappointingly, virtually no alteration of opinion or inclusion of new information.

  48. Refer to details in Jones 2011.

  2. Crumbs to Corporations

  1. Figures supplied directly by Chris Whittles in November 2014.

  2. A cursory search turns up a plethora of British suppliers: Arkwildlife, British Bird Seed, Colonels, Food4WildBirds, Garden Wildlife Direct, Gardmans, Haiths, Kennedy, Really Wild, Vinehouse, Wild Bird Feed. Amazon and eBay now offer a variety of products.

  3. Cited in Fuller et al. 2012.

  4. Some of these companies are mentioned in Baicich et al. 2015, but each has its own informative website describing their history.

  5. The comprehensive US Fish and Wildlife surveys are an invaluable source of detailed and reliable information of relevance here; the surveys are available for free from the agency’s website (www.fws.gov).

  6. See report by Lin 2005 from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.

  7. See Lin 2005.

  8. This information comes from Baicich, Barker, and Henderson’s booklet Feeding Wild Birds (2010), the precursor to their much more detailed book Feeding Wild Birds in America (2015).

  9. I visited Mr. Whittles at his home in November 2014.

  10. See details in note 8.

  11. These studies were published as Chapman and Jones 2009, 2010, 2012.

  12. See Cocker and Tipling 2014.

  13. Read more about the Pancha-Maha-yajnas at http://veda.wikidot.com/panchamahayajna.

  14. These details are from Bailleul-LeSuer 2014.

  15. See Bailleul-LeSuer 2014.

  16. See Wade et al. 2012.

  17. See Wade et al. 2012.

  18. These accounts were sourced from standard websites, though some details are also based on David Elliston Allen’s excellent The Naturalist in Britain: A Social History (1976).

  19. See Augustine Thompson’s Francis of Assisi: A New Biography (2012).

  20. Northampton Mercury, 28 April 1787, under “Country News.”

  21. “Trial of McNaughton for the murder of Mr. Drummond, ” Caledonian Mercury, 9 March 1843.

  22. See Thoreau (1854) 1946.

  23. For example, see Baicich et al. 2010.

  24. See Baicich et al. 2015.

  25. See Baicich et al. 2015.

  26. See Renee Thompson’s The Plume Hunter (2011).

  27. See Baicich et al. 2015.

  28. Apparently first described by Dovaston in the Magazine of Natural History in 1832 and discussed in Allen 1976.

  29. See Allen 1976.

  30. See Callahan 2014.

  31. See Callahan 2014.

  32. Ipswich Journal, 3 February 1776, under “Colchester.”

  33. “Miscellaneous reflections on the study of nature,” Kendal Mercury, 5 May 1855.

  34. “Feeding birds in winter,” Edinburgh Evening News, 16 February 1875.

  35. See Callahan 2014.

  36. See Callahan 2014.

  37. Two articles in London Daily News, 30 December 1890: “The birds,” and “A thrush on the ‘situation.’”

  38. See Callahan 2014.

  39. See note 37.

  40. See note 37.

  41. See Allen 1976.

  42. See Allen 1976.

  43. How to Attract and Protect Wild Birds was written by Martin Hiesemann and translated by Emma S. Buchheim. The Duchess of Bedford wrote the introduction. It contains many illustrations.

  44. The baron’s book, originally published in 1899, was Der gesamte Vogelschutz: Seine Begründung und Ausführung (Gera-Untermhaus, Köhler).

  45. See Hiesemann 1908.

  46. See Hiesemann 1908.

  47. See McAtee 1914.

  48. See Forbush 1918.

  49. Forbush 1918.

  50. An excellent exploration of the philosophy and significance of national parks is National Parks beyond the Nation (2012), edited by Howkins et al.

  51. See Howkins et al. 2012.

  52. Cited by Soper 1965.

  53. See Baicich et al. 2015.

  54. See Baicich et al. 2015.

  55. See Baicich et al. 2015.

  56. Cited by Baicich et al. 2015.

  57. See Barker and Griggs 2000 and Baicich et al. 2015.

  58. See Baicich et al. 2010.

  59. See Baicich et al. 2010.

  60. See Callahan 2014.

  61. See Baicich et al. 2015.

  62. See Baicich et al. 2010.

  63. Baicich et al. 2015. See also McCormick et al. 1992.

  64. See McCormick et al. 1992.

  65. See McCormick et al. 1992.

  66. See Baicich et al. 2010.

  67. See Baicich et al. 2015.

  68. See Baicich et al. 2015.

  69. My master’s thesis was entitled “Parrots and sunflowers in northern New South Wales” (University of New England, Armidale, 1982).

  70. See Baicich et al. 2010. The spellings “nyjer” and “nyger” are both widely used; I have chosen “nyger” for this book.

  71. T. J. Greenaway 1988.

  72. See Geis 1980.

  73. See Baicich et al. 2010.

  74. See Baicich et al. 2010.

  75. See note 9.

  76. There is active debate about wild bird feeding in South Africa. For some of the range of opinions, visit http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/feeding-wild-birds-zm0z92zros.aspx and http://www.birdlife.org.za/about-us/frequently-asked-questions.

  3. The Big Change

  1. See Berthold and Mohr 2006.

  2. For a sampling of opposing reviews, in German, visit www.bund.net/ueber_uns.

  3. See Baicich et al. 2010, 2015.

  4. See Belaire et al., 2015, Lepczyk et al. 2004, Lepczyk et al. 2012.

  5. See Baicich et al. 2010.

  6. See Lepczyk et al. 2004.

  7. See Lepczyk et al. 2004.

  8. This was certainly the strong assumption of Tony Soper in The Bird Table Book (1965), the “bible of garden birding.”

  9. See Cowie and Hinsley 1988a, b.

  10. See Davies et al. 2012.

  11. See Orros and Fellowes 2015.

  12. Quoted by Thompson 1987, referring to RSPB leaflets “Food fit for birds?” and “Feeding garden birds.”

  13. The earlier advice from BTO was largely distributed as leaflets that are no longer available, although the general attitude is repeated in the popular books of the time such as Tony Soper’s Bird Table Book (1965) and Glue’s Garden Bird Book (1982).

  14. See, for example, Toms and Sterry’s Garden Birds and Wildlife (BTO, 2008).

  15. Current views from RSPB can be found at http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/helpingbirds/feeding.

  16. See Plummer et al. 2013.

  17. See Thompson 1987.

  18. See, for example, Cowie and Hinsley 1987, 1988b.

  19. See discussion in Cannon 1999 and Chamberlain et al. 2009.

  20. Learn about BTO Garden BirdWatch at www.bto.org.gbw.

  21. And to prove that the “Oddie Effect” is alive and well, check out the collaboration between Bill and the seed company Haiths: “It’s time to join Bill’s Summer Feeding is Cool! revolution.” http://www.haiths.com/its-time-to-join-bill-oddies-summer-bird-feeding-is-cool-revolution.

  22. See, for example, www.bund.net/ueber_uns.

  23. See, for example, www.bund.net/ueber_uns.

  24. See, for exam
ple, Berthold et al. 1992, Berthold 1996.

  25. See Berthold and Mohr 2006.

  26. See Berthold and Mohr 2006.

  27. See Heisemann 1908.

  28. See Berthold and Mohr 2006.

  4. The Feeder Effect

  1. There is an abundance of information on Project FeederWatch on their website, FeederWatch.org, or via the Lab of Ornithology, www.birds.cornell.edu.

  2. Visit www.birds.cornell.edu.

  3. Just a couple of the many excellent citizen science publications from the Lab of O are Cooper et al. 2007 and Bonter and Cooper 2012.

  4. A useful summary of the history and development of Project FeederWatch is provided by Barker and Grigg 2000.

  5. See Barker and Grigg 2000.

  6. See Barker and Grigg 2000.

  7. This is easy. Visit FeederWatch.org/pfw/maps and choose your favorite species.

  8. See Leston and Rodewald 2006.

  9. See FeederWatch.org/pfw/maps.

  10. The extraordinary story has been led and communicated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Andre Dhondt from the very beginning. See, for example, Bonney and Dhondt 1997, Dhondt et al. 1995, and Dhondt et al. 2005.

  11. See Dhondt et al. 1995.

  12. See Fischer and Miller 1995.

  13. See Adelman et al. 2015.

  14. See Fischer and Miller 2015.

  15. Visit the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count site: www.christmasbirdcount.org.

  16. See Fischer and Miller 2015.

  17. Visit BTO Garden BirdWatch at www.bto.org.gbw.

  18. See Berthold et al. 1992.

  19. See Bearhop et al. 2005.

  20. See Bearhop et al. 2005.

  21. See Plummer et al. 2015.

  22. See Plummer et al. 2015.

  23. See Bearhop et al. 2005.

  24. See Rolshausen et al. 2009.

  25. See Brittingham and Temple 1988 and Brittingham 1991.

  26. See, for example, Kluyver 1952.

  27. Talvised Aialinnud, Ja Nende Toitmine (2011). Eesti Ornitoloogiaühing, Tartu, Estonia. Visit www.eoy.ee.

  28. See Thompson 1987.

  29. Quoted in Thompson 1987.

  30. For example, see Howard and Jones 2004 and Jones and Reynolds 2008.

  31. See Jones and Reynolds 2008.

  32. See, for example, Soper 1965 and Peterson 2000.

  33. See Brittingham and Temple 1992a.

  34. See Brittingham and Temple 1992a.

  35. Wilcoxen et al. 2015. Their project remains one of the most important studies on the effects of feeding.

  36. See Galbraith et al. 2015.

 

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