Where have all the New Holland Honeyeaters gone?

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Woko
Woko's picture
Where have all the New Holland Honeyeaters gone?

For some years it's been usual to see 20+ New Holland Honeyeaters at my place on the s.e. slopes of the Mt Lofty Ranges in SA. Over the last 9 weeks the maximum number I've seen each week have been 20, 21, 17, 14, 4, 8, 4, 4, 1. Breeding this season has been very low. Interestingly, White-plumed Honeyeater numbers have been reasonably static during this period.

We're currently experiencing an extremely dry period. In the last 14 weeks we've had only one rainfall event of 4 mm or more with monthly totals since October of 4.6, 26.6 & 11.2 mm. So far this year we've had the grand total of 0 mm. This all follows a very dry winter.  

I believe it's highly likely that the lack of recent rainfall has resulted in much lower production of food resources for New Holland Honeyeaters which feed their nestlings insects. I noticed last night that there were 0, zero, zilch moths around our outside light. And butterfly numbers are way, way down on previous years.

So the bird downside of the dry period is a dearth of New Holland Honeyeaters as well as Rainbow Bee Eaters, Silvereyes & a number of other species, but particularly the first mentioned.

Will the upside be an influx of bird species from the Murray Mallee area which begins a few kilometres to the east of where we live? Species such as Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters, Spiney-cheeked Honeyeaters, White-eared Honeyeaters & Purple-gaped Honeyeaters might move into the niche previously filled by New Holland Honeyeaters. Opportunity beckons but will such species be able to exploit the opportunity because there are no wildlife corridors to speak of between us & the Murray Mallee? Given this, will there be less pollination of flowers since there are now less Honeyeaters & Silvereyes to perform this task? So will there be less germination of new trees & shrubs in our area? Less trees & shrubs means more soil erosion when the rains eventually come. More soil erosion means less farm production.

The implications of broadscale land clearance are potentially vast as can be seen from the above scenario. Ruthless developers & self-serving governments have a lot to answer for, I suggest, but will they ever be held to account?

GregL
GregL's picture

In drought conditions birds tend to congregate around watercourses and other places where there are lots of insects and food. Droughts can be a good time for birdwatching if you go to the right places. At my place on the western side of the ranges in NSW there have been a succession of good seasons, this season most of the local birds have raised a second brood. During spring the birds were fairly dispersed as there was plenty of food around, now the season is getting hot and dry they are starting to congregate in the valleys where there is more insects, fruit and seeds available. The yellow box has flowered for a while and the red stringybark will start soon, there are also foxes and rabbits around, a general feeling of plenty. these things are all cyclical, I have been through some bad droughts and will see some more in future. I know that when you are in a drought it feels like it will never end but there's an old saying "every day is another day closer to the end of the drought".

Woko
Woko's picture

Two days ago a cool change gradually rolled across the landscape followed by seven New Holland Honeyeaters at our bird bath. 

I did notice that during the absence of this species Brown-headed Honeyeaters are about the place more often.  Brown-headed Honeyeaters tend to be seen more so in drier country.

detritus
detritus's picture

Hadn't seen this earlier, Woko. The cool change and the rain has definitely brought them back out in the open. In the period you mentioned, their numbers were still as strong as ever near the coast (Hallett Cove CP especially). Since the rain over the last few days, my backyard has been overrun with them again. Interestingly, the house swallows which had infested every corner of the yard have been very scarce since the New Hollands returned.

My partner put a little wicker birdhouse in one of our trees around christmas time, and the New Hollands have seemed very interested in it over the past few days. Wasn't expecting that. Wasn't expecting anything to make use of it, to be honest!

Woko
Woko's picture

Although we've had cooler weather over the last few days here in the south of SA there is still only a handful of New Holland Honeyeaters around & I here them almost exclusively in the early morning. Even the Brown-headed Honeyeaters have vamoosed -  I haven't seen or heard any of those for about a week now in spite of the fact there are a number of Eucalypts in flower. This is quite unusual. 

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