[obol] Eucalyptus (was Re: let's wage a dialogue not a war)

[Jeff Gilligan]

Thanks Dan.  I have read an article or two regarding the claimed  ill-effect
of eucalyptus trees on American birds.  I have also read arguments that
those claims are overstated, and perhaps misleading.  There are great
numbers of eucalypts in California.  Many bird species feed on insects that
are attracted to them.  It is also clear that Anna¹s Hummingbirds are more
common than they were before humans introduced eucalypts.  The matter of
eucalypts naturalizing in California  and displacing native vegetation is
certainly a concern, but I don¹t know of a volunteer eucalypt in Oregon.  Do
you know of a link that proves the negative effects of eucalypts?  Jeff
Gilligan

On 2/4/08 5:52 PM, "Dan Gleason" <dan-gleason at comcast.net> wrote:

> I would like to point out the Eucalyptus are NOT good for migrating warblers.
> Eucalyptus trees exude a sticky gum, which is partly why some species nearly
> explode in a fire. These are fire-adapted plants and depend upon the fires
> they fuel for seed dispersal. Birds, such as honey-eaters and leaf-gleaners
> that co-evolved with Eucalyptus trees have long curved bills that they can
> probe into flowers and avoid the sticky resin. The North American kinglets,
> vireos and warblers have short straight bills. They are attracted to
> Eucalyptus flowers and the insects housed within. However, the short length of
> their bills means that they must probe deeply into the flowers to obtain
> insects. In doing so, their faces are often covered with this sticky resin.
> For some birds, the resin is think enough that it can become difficult to open
> the mouth, in others, their nostrils become plugged. A great many of these
> birds will suffocate and die each year. Additionally, birds such as Anna's
> Hummingbirds will build nests in these trees but as many as 50% are blown out
> by winds whereas in the shelter of native plants, only 10% of the nests may be
> lost. Great Horned Owls and Red-shouldered Hawks do seem to utilize the trees
> successfully for nesting but but most native bird have less overall success in
> eucalyptus.
> 
> Ground-nesting and ground-foraging birds are also put at risk in groves of
> Eucalyptus. The litter from these trees can be as think as 3-4 feet in some
> areas. The insects and micro flora and fauna and other organisms that
> naturally break down this debris in Australia are not found here. All but a
> few native plants (poison-oak being one of the survivors) are choked out or
> poisoned by the chemicals from the Eucalyptus, leaving an area of desolation
> unfit for a healthy diversity of native birds.
> 
> These are definitely not bird-friendly plants for North American species.
> 
> Dan Gleason
> 
> -------------
> 
> Dan Gleason
> dan-gleason at comcast.net
> 541 345-0450
> 
>  
> 
> On Feb 4, 2008, at 2:55 PM, LammergeierEyes at aol.com wrote:
> 
>>  
>> What do we do with the  non-native Eucalyptus which has displaced an oak, but
>> which provides fodder for migrating Warblers?
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> 
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> Best wishes,
>>  
>> Blake Matheson
>>  
>> Carmel California & Portland Oregon
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
> Who's never won?  Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music.
> <http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp003000000
> 02548> 
> _______________________________________________
> obol mailing list
> obol at lists.oregonstate.edu
> http://lists.oregonstate.edu/mailman/listinfo/obol
> 
> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
> obol-leave at lists.oregonstate.edu.
>  
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> obol mailing list
> obol at lists.oregonstate.edu
> http://lists.oregonstate.edu/mailman/listinfo/obol
> 
> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
> obol-leave at lists.oregonstate.edu.


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.oregonstate.edu/mailman/private/obol/attachments/20080204/57cb46b4/attachment.htm