Aussie Finch Forum

I was glad to see the following article, Gouldian Finch study begins in the north, up on the ABC site this morning. It may not be particularly informative to many finch keepers but it gives this bird a higher profile than we can. Already we discovered how fire is affecting recruitment of trees, formerly destined to go on to develop suitable nesting hollows and now this study will examine what effect fire regimes have on the Gouldian's main seed supply - wild sorghum.

PS: They've added an Audio Link interview with Anna Weier - the student doing the work.

And if she finds the problem is lack of rain I wonder what will happen? But it is always good to raise the profile of the birds, and see if problems in the wild can be rectified.
LML

Well you'd think lack of rain would indicate climate change given that the ecosystems that supported Gouldian populations have existed in Australia for tens of millennia have been stable until recently. Personally I think the decline of our northern ecosystems has been caused by direct human activity (changed fire regimes) but unlike our likely new science minister Dr Dennis Jensen I'm no climate change skeptic.

I doubt if lack of rain is the problem.
More like the locals setting fire to all and sundry through out the dry season.
The burnt areas are horrendous and so common.
Came away even less impressed with them now!!!!!

Unfortunately I suspected humans were to blame. But was just putting it out there that sometimes nature can muck things up without human assistance. Like climate change, it will continue to happen without us, but boy do we know how to help it along.
And if the icecaps have increased does that not prove the climate has changed? Climate change yes. Global warming no. Some people just see half the picture.
LML

E Orix wrote:I doubt if lack of rain is the problem.
More like the locals setting fire to all and sundry through out the dry season.
The burnt areas are horrendous and so common.
Came away even less impressed with them now!!!!!

E Orix is right,with dead spear grass,a metre tall all around us at the count sites and fires burning close by it becomes rather scary.Even at Parry's resort the air was quite thick with smoke from fires that are deliberately lite by the local indigenous for no apparent reasons other than it's their culture and their land. Craig

For those that are interested they've added an Audio Link interview with Anna Weier - the student doing the work.