Exploring Pigeon Valley- Bird species that have migrated
Some bird species have disappeared from the Glenwood area and some new species have been spotted in Pigeon Valley.
This is the 125th article in an ongoing series that highlights the riches of Pigeon Valley, the urban nature reserve in the heart of Glenwood. In this article, Crispin Hemson considers what has been lost from the valley and what the chances of recovery are. Hemson is a Glenwood resident and chair of the Friends of Pigeon Valley.
THIS week Hemson lists some of the bird species that are no longer seen in the Glenwood area and some new species that have been spotted in Pigeon Valley.
Hemson cited a recent paper by researchers, Richard Boon and Greg Davies, saying bird species were impacted by the fragmentation of the original Stella Bush, of which, the reserve is one of the few remnants. Some bird species were lost when road construction cut into the natural habitat.
“Stella Bush was the name given to the coastal forest that spread across the southern side of the Berea until it was largely destroyed to make way for suburban development. The researchers (Boon and Davies) report how the marvelous forest was gradually destroyed. It seems that there was little attempt to consider the ecological implications of fragmenting the bush and failing to keep one large sector of the bush. For example, Princess Alice Avenue, which carries little traffic but has a vast expanse, cut into the nature reserve without logic. One of my frustrations is the stupidity of using so much area for needlessly wide roads – dual-lane highways in an area of low population density,” said Hemson.
Also read: Meet the man who wrote 119 articles about Glenwood’s Pigeon Valley
Hemson said records show that bird species, including Lemon Dove and Brown Robin, existed in the area before the natural bush was removed. “As a result of the fragmentation of the bush, some of these species no longer breed in the area and others are never found now. Once the remnants of the bush become too small, they can no longer support species that need a large territory. The most striking loss, of course, was, a long way back, the Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, after which Pigeon Valley was named,” he said.
New life
While bird species in the area have seen a decline, indigenous grasses have grown in areas where the grass is not mowed. There have also been improvements in the way Pigeon Valley is managed.
“Persistent alien clearing by the Friends of Pigeon Valley has ensured that we protect the food sources provided by indigenous trees and plants,” said Hemson.
Also read: Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Stormwater Project
New species have also been spotted in the nature reserve.
“There are new colonisers, such as Red-billed Firefinches and Red-headed Finches, probably escapees who have rapidly become naturalised. For the first time, last week I saw a pair of Burchell’s Coucals nest building in the reserve and I am convinced that the pair of Spotted Eagle-Owls are presently nesting. A White-browed Scrub-Robin is calling again after an absence of a few years. The presence of a Side-striped Jackal two years ago indicates how natural life reasserts itself where it can. And, while this may not thrill the reader (except perhaps in the way a horror film does), Black Mambas are becoming part of suburban life,” said Hemson.
Extending the reserve will allow nature to flourish, said Hemson.
“One significant positive step can be taken. That is to extend the fence close to the roads around the reserve. This will allow further re-growth of natural bush and grasses; the possibility is that this will be enough to encourage some of the marginal species to breed again here,” he concluded.
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