The following gleanings are from recent Oatley Faura and Fauna Society Newsletters:-
CAMPHOR LAUREL: A PEST TREE
It was introduced to Australia as an ornamental species about 1822 and established in the Sydney Botanic Gardens in 1854. Its value as an ornamental tree was actively promoted in municipal parks, gardens and school grounds. 10 years ago, OFF News noted that this tree was a pest,
invading natural habitats all along the coast, with its root system damaging pipes, fences, foundations, and preventing the growth of other species. It reported that Kew Gardens in U.K. found the roots of camphor laurels to be covered with tiny oil exudation glands that seasonally pump toxins into the soil and water courses, and impact on native wildlife. Surprisingly still well regarded by some, camphor laurel is now a declared noxious weed, but not in all localgovernment areas.
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/
BIRDS IN OATLEY PARK
The Park provides a sanctuary for many species of birds, some of which nest within its boundaries Others simply use the park and itstidal boundaries as part of their wider search for food and shelter, returning regularly to the park, but nesting elsewhere. It is difficult to say exactly how many bird species can be found within the park at any one time; numbers vary depending on the season and availability of food.
BIRDS OF OATLEY PARK
In a recent email to OFF, Warren Mallard made some interesting comments on the birds he remembers from Oatley Park in the 1950s. He notes, “Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters were the most prevalent, and there were colonies of Dusky Wood Swallows nesting at the end of Lime Kiln Bay. Grey Thrushes also nested in the area. A White-breasted Sea Eagle nested for a number of years in a large Angophora costata at the end of Lime Kiln Bay,but left once Peakhurst houses sprang up. Southern Yellow Robins were common, nesting with Silvereyes in the Melaleuca forest of Lime Kiln Bay. There were two species of Quail also in the park, and there were no Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Noisy Miners, Rainbow Lorikeets, or Scaly-breasted Lorikeets. ”Warren’s notes open up the question of how different is the birdlife now. Official lists are from about 1975 basedon much earlier observations. One list contains 114 species; another more than 145, so there is a need for a new list for Oatley Park, Lime Kiln Bay, and Oatley Heights Park, noting behaviour and locations. It will take some time to complete, as a number of birds are summer visitors or only vagrants. The completed list will then go on the OFF website.
PROTECT OUR NATIVE ANIMALS IN THE BUSH
Stay on walking tracks in bushland.
- Admire wild flowers and plants – do not pick them.
- Leave natural features such as fallen timber on the ground.
- Leave yabbies, tadpoles, and water bugs in the creeks.
- Remove all your rubbish from the bush.
- Use your compost bin for garden green waste.
- Walk, rather than ride a trail bike.
- Keep equipment and boots clean. Spray with 70/30 mix of metho & water to stop spreading the fungal disease , Phytophthora
- Keep pets at home, particularly cats, and especially at night.
RECYCLING FOOD SCRAPS
Food scraps such as banana peels, apple cores, vegetable trimmings, bones, eggshells, and pizza crust are a wasted resource in landfill. As they decompose, they generate methane, but when composted, they produce oxygen, valuable to soil and plant health. They can now be safely collected and processed, and a growing number of municipalities provide special food scrap bins.
www.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/
Our thanks to Hon. Editor: John Davoren for his excellent Newsletter reports
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