Is the WB crimson doomed in the wild

[Craig52]

Google earths a great tool. A friend of mine had some great old school photos of white bellied crimsons around the water treatment plant ponds in town. A lot of the keen fisherman from around Cairns,Tablelands head to this area to chase Barramundi along the numerous rivers and creeks feeding into the Gulf. Two years ago around June I travelled in that general area on a fishing trip. At that time I noted some reasonable size flocks of Diggles and White eared mask finches with young along the Burke development road around Dunbar station. I haven't seen any black bellied crimsons in that area. Cheers

Thanks mate,where have you been,good to have you back.I will get up there before the lights go out one day,would love to see them in the wild. Craig

[Craig52]

Well my theory is right, this is a pic of cross between a White belly crimson and a Black belly crimson. The BB crimson IS invading the WB's strong hold. There has been several other images taken previously this year of similar dirty bellied WB crimsons so it looks imminent that in the long term the WB crimson will disappear in its true form. Craig
Forgot to mention. this bird was in a small bush with other dirty bellied birds and what looked like pure WB crimsons.
Thanks to John Griffith for the image

22154666_509181576101881_6708295688769245363_n.jpg

[STUART WHITING]

Interesting Craig please keep us posted if yer here or come across any other news about the Crimsons

[gomer]

I have a photo of a black bellied cock in the heart of white bellied country.This is not a cross most likely crosses there now this year.

[arthur]

Sadly the answer is yes . .

Unless the 'authorities(?)' recognise aviculture as a legitimate conservation tool . . and you can get long odds about that

And that 'taking from the wild' . . in certain circumstances . . is not regarded as a mortal sin by many . . and you you can get long odds about that too




But 'authorities(?)', conservationists(?), and aviculturists, will sit on their hands . .

They will tell us that it is only 'Nature's way of doing things'; that it is only a sub-species afterall; and that 'she'll be right mate'

[STUART WHITING]

Sadly the answer is yes . .

Unless the 'authorities(?)' recognise aviculture as a legitimate conservation tool . . and you can get long odds about that

And that 'taking from the wild' . . in certain circumstances . . is not regarded as a mortal sin by many . . and you you can get long odds about that too




But 'authorities(?)', conservationists(?), and aviculturists, will sit on their hands . .

They will tell us that it is only 'Nature's way of doing things'; that it is only a sub-species afterall; and that 'she'll be right mate'

Yep sadly I'm also inclined to agree on this one, it'd be exactly the same to over here in England, sit in their office chairs and do nothing
Conservation my foot and when something gets so very critical it then gets advertised on a global media and asking for donations to help

Many of us seem to take a back set about these kind of issues but would it be any wander why, we are not the official government or conservation organisers and hardly get a say in the matter,

One thing I will say though is that I'd definitely take me hat off to the likes of Mike Fidler, Bill Van Patten and alongside with a few others who have managed to make a mark on the map as far as conservation goes, that to me is where credit is due