A dead short-tailed shearwater on the beach at Warrnambool. Photo: Damian White

You may have noticed a few bedraggled-looking or dead birds on east coast shores recently. Now is the time that migratory birds are completing their marathon migrations from breeding in the Arctic Circle. Some have successfully had babies and are ready to start fattening up for next years breeding season in the northern hemisphere. Others aren’t so lucky and although news reports state that bad weather has caused their demise, another factor that is rarely mentioned is starvation and emaciation due to precious habitat degradation. Read More & Comment →

A starving and unwell Grey-headed flying-fox stays in a fruiting Cocos Palm through the day. Photo: Andrew Smith.

20 May 2010

Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld., President, Louise Saunders is alarmed by the large number of reports about hungry flying-foxes staying by food trees through the day and not returning to their camps.
“This is of huge concern as bats will stay by food trees until the food runs out. They will then be too weak to fly further afield and will die in people’s gardens like we saw in the winter of 2007. This is starvation” Louise said. Read More & Comment →

The Beneficial Lady Bug

In the big picture that is Planet Earth, all insects undoubtedly have a role. But to the farmer, horticulturist and home gardener, those insects which damage or destroy plants are obviously most unwelcome. Such ‘pest’ species include chewers like certain moth larvae (caterpillars) and suckers such as aphids and mites.
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As day turns to night and mosquitoes become more active, tiny insect eating microbats are stirring in their hollow tree roosts, getting ready to devour their own body weight in pest insects such as mosquitoes, midges, flying termites, weevils and lawn beetles.