This is what the Northern Tableland Land Council is aiming to do.
In Brisbane where I live there has been an explosion of Noisy Miners as well.
There used to be thousands of imported birds that have disappeared since I were lad.
Starlings in the thousands would line electrical wires on a late winters evening.
And there were sparrows by the score, never saw a noisy miner.
Now all the starlings and sparrows are gone and noisy miners are everywhere.
So they need to undrrstand that this problem (if a problem it is) is not local.
I hope they have done their homework.

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TSR Noisy Miner project to bring back woodland birds

30 November 2015

A research project aimed at stopping the decline of native woodland birds is taking place on Travelling Stock Reserves (TSRs) in the Bundarra, Yarrowyck and Kingstown area.

Surprisingly, one of the key threats facing woodland birds is also a native species, the Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala), from the honeyeater family.

Changes in the environment seem to have favoured the Noisy Miner which has become ‘over abundant’ in numbers at the expense of other native birds, including several endangered species.

Noisy Miner colonies will aggressively attack other species to drive them out of their territory and are listed as a Key Threatening Process under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act.

As the managing authority in charge of TSRs, Northern Tablelands Local Land Services (LLS) is workingwith scientistsfromtheAustralianMuseumResearchInstitute, the University of New England and the University of Queensland to more closely investigate the impact of the Noisy Miner.

“Initially we will be surveying birds on twelve TSR sites to measure the abundance of all bird species present,” said Dr Paul McDonald from the UNE School of Environmental and Rural Science.

“We will then cull Noisy Miners from six of these sections on six TSR sites in the Bundarra, Yarrowyck and Kingstown area during November and December.”

“We will carry out follow-up surveys over the next two years to find out whether the smaller native birds will recolonise the experimental sites, and how long it will take for new Noisy Miner colonies to come back into these areas,” said Dr McDonald.

According to Northern Tablelands Local Land Services TSR Team Leader, Ross Fuller, Travelling Stock Reserves provide native animals with very valuable habitat.

“However, we think they could be even more valuable for threatened species if the impact of Noisy Miners is reduced,” said Ross.

The ‘Arresting declines of woodland birds through Noisy Miner control’ study will determine the cost-effectiveness of culling Noisy Miners as a management strategy, which may be useful both locally and in other parts of eastern Australia.

The Noisy Miner control project has been assisted by the NSW Government’s Environmental Trust, and has been licensed by the Office of Environment and Heritage.

For more information about the Noisy Miner project contact: Dr Paul McDonald at UNE on 0410 679 022 or paul.mcdonald@une.edu.au, or Ross Fuller at Northern Tablelands LLS on 0429 909 827 or ross.fuller@lls.nsw.gov.au
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HhhMmmm…..

Without addressing the habitat issue, they’re in for a losing battle. Suburbia tends to favour certain species. If you want woodland birds, providing woodland is pretty damn important.

Teleost said:

HhhMmmm…..

Without addressing the habitat issue, they’re in for a losing battle. Suburbia tends to favour certain species. If you want woodland birds, providing woodland is pretty damn important.

People will always look for the easy way out and politicians are always pleased to oblige.

I was actually musing on this yesterday as I was going for a run with the dog. She got swooped a few times by a gang of noisy miners as we were trundling along.

I cannot recall ever seeing a NM when I was growing up in the wilds of Essendon. I first spotted when when I was living just north of Toowoomba in the early 80s. Now days I cannot go for a run along the Maribyrnong River without being pestered by the little bastards.

Teleost said:

HhhMmmm…..

Without addressing the habitat issue, they’re in for a losing battle. Suburbia tends to favour certain species. If you want woodland birds, providing woodland is pretty damn important.

Yes.

However, the “habitat issue” also includes the overabundance of flowering natives planted in backyards in the suburbs. I mentioned it here only a few days ago, after seeing an owl fledgling being forced from its perch by NMs nearby (I said it was a Powerful Owl, but found out later that it was a Boobook Owl.)

ignore the problem

deny the problem

shoot the problem

rinse and repeat

Peak Warming Man said:

This is what the Northern Tableland Land Council is aiming to do.
In Brisbane where I live there has been an explosion of Noisy Miners as well.
There used to be thousands of imported birds that have disappeared since I were lad.
Starlings in the thousands would line electrical wires on a late winters evening.
And there were sparrows by the score, never saw a noisy miner.
Now all the starlings and sparrows are gone and noisy miners are everywhere.
So they need to undrrstand that this problem (if a problem it is) is not local.
I hope they have done their homework.

————————————————————————————————————-

TSR Noisy Miner project to bring back woodland birds

30 November 2015

A research project aimed at stopping the decline of native woodland birds is taking place on Travelling Stock Reserves (TSRs) in the Bundarra, Yarrowyck and Kingstown area.

Surprisingly, one of the key threats facing woodland birds is also a native species, the Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala), from the honeyeater family.

Changes in the environment seem to have favoured the Noisy Miner which has become ‘over abundant’ in numbers at the expense of other native birds, including several endangered species.

Noisy Miner colonies will aggressively attack other species to drive them out of their territory and are listed as a Key Threatening Process under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act.

As the managing authority in charge of TSRs, Northern Tablelands Local Land Services (LLS) is workingwith scientistsfromtheAustralianMuseumResearchInstitute, the University of New England and the University of Queensland to more closely investigate the impact of the Noisy Miner.

“Initially we will be surveying birds on twelve TSR sites to measure the abundance of all bird species present,” said Dr Paul McDonald from the UNE School of Environmental and Rural Science.

“We will then cull Noisy Miners from six of these sections on six TSR sites in the Bundarra, Yarrowyck and Kingstown area during November and December.”

“We will carry out follow-up surveys over the next two years to find out whether the smaller native birds will recolonise the experimental sites, and how long it will take for new Noisy Miner colonies to come back into these areas,” said Dr McDonald.

According to Northern Tablelands Local Land Services TSR Team Leader, Ross Fuller, Travelling Stock Reserves provide native animals with very valuable habitat.

“However, we think they could be even more valuable for threatened species if the impact of Noisy Miners is reduced,” said Ross.

The ‘Arresting declines of woodland birds through Noisy Miner control’ study will determine the cost-effectiveness of culling Noisy Miners as a management strategy, which may be useful both locally and in other parts of eastern Australia.

The Noisy Miner control project has been assisted by the NSW Government’s Environmental Trust, and has been licensed by the Office of Environment and Heritage.

For more information about the Noisy Miner project contact: Dr Paul McDonald at UNE on 0410 679 022 or paul.mcdonald@une.edu.au, or Ross Fuller at Northern Tablelands LLS on 0429 909 827 or ross.fuller@lls.nsw.gov.au
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Wow. I’m startled that they’ve correctly diagnosed that the native noisy miner is the problem, and they’re taking steps to remedy the problem. So far so good. But they’ve got totally the wrong solution.

The solution is that the noisy miner won’t fly into thick scrub, so plant thick scrub. Its the scrub clearance that has caused the excess numbers of noisy miners in the first place.