Tributes
Leigh Desmond Ahern

Tom Sault

Linda Margaret Potter

Book Reviews
Bowerbirds by Peter Rowland

Spirit of the Wedge-tailed Eagle, paintings and drawings by Humphrey Price-Jones; text by Penny Olsen

Mound-builders, by Darryl Jones and Ann Göth

Albatross: their world, their ways, by Tui De Roy, Mark Jones and Julian Fitter

Albatrosses by Terence Lindsey

Boom and bust, edited by L Robin, R Heinsohn and L Joseph

Food resources and urban colonisation by lorikeets and parrots
Alan Lill

Abstract
Several native bird species have recently successfully colonized many Australian cities. The presence of some of them may be largely beneficial, but their urban ecology is poorly understood. We conducted short-term studies of the foraging ecology of Rainbow and Musk Lorikeets and Red-rumped Parrots in Melbourne parklands to help fill this knowledge gap. The nectar (and/or pollen) of six eucalypt species, mostly not native to the Melbourne area, strongly dominated the lorikeets’ diet year-round. The key eucalypt species variously flowered for 80-100% of winter and 72-84% of summer. In winter, 80% of the Red-rumped Parrot’s diet comprised the abundant seeds of four exotic grasses and herbs. There was little evidence of significant inter-specific competition, particularly through aggressive interference, for any of the lorikeets’ or parrots’ urban food resources. Thus a critical factor facilitating urban colonization by these birds seems to be that, collectively, ornamental eucalypts planted last century, turf grasses commonly occurring on sports grounds and in parks and common weeds provide abundant food resources in Melbourne’s parklands that are broadly similar to those of their non-urban habitats. Moreover, exploitation of these resources by other urban birds seems to be fairly limited.
Keywords: Lorikeets, parrots, urban colonization, diet, eucalypt nectar, grass and herb seeds, inter-specific aggression
The Victorian Naturalist 126 (3), 2009, 70-72

Surviving urbanisation: maintaining bird species diversity in urban Melbourne
John G White, James A Fitzsimons, Grant C Palmer and Mark J Antos

Abstract
The relationships between vegetation and bird communities within an urban landscape are synthetised, based on a series of studies we conducted. Our studies indicate that streetscape vegetation plays an important role in influencing urban bird communities, with streetscapes dominated by native plants supporting communities with high native species richness and abundance, while exotic and newly-developed streetscapes support more introduced bird species and fewer native bird species. Native streetscapes can also provide important resources for certain groups of birds, such as nectarivores. Our research has also revealed that urban remnants are likely to support more native bird species if they are larger and if they contain components of riparian vegetation. Vegetation structure and quality does not appear to be as important a driver as remnant size in determining the richness of native bird communities. Introduced birds were shown to occur in remnants at low densities, irrespective of remnant size, when compared to densities found in streetscapes dominated by exotic vegetation. We discuss our results in terms of practical planning and management options to increase and maintain urban avian diversity and conclude by offering suggestions for future fields of research in terms of urban bird communities.
Keywords: urbanisation; bird assemblages; remnant vegetation; streetscapes; riparian zones
The Victorian Naturalist 126 (3), 2009, 73-78

Birds, buffers and bicycles: a review and case study of wetland buffers
Michael A Weston, Mark J Antos and Hayley K Glover

Abstract
Wetland buffers separate wetlands from surrounding land uses that are incompatible with wetland values. Buffers are established to fulfil a variety of needs. However, not all functions which are attributed to buffers are mutually compatible. In particular, their use as major recreational zones is not necessarily compatible with reducing disturbance to wetland wildlife, such as birds. This paper examines the buffer around an urban wetland at Altona, Victoria, which is extensively used by recreationists. The presence of a bicycle trail within the buffer might effectively reduce its size and effectiveness, and cause ‘buffer creep’ whereby the effective separation distance between people and birds is reduced. It might also unintentionally facilitate unauthorised access into an otherwise ‘off-limits’ wetland. While social support is critical for wetland conservation, the existence of recreation in buffers does not automatically confer high awareness of local wetlands. The success of buffers as a conservation tool will depend upon setting a clear objective for buffers, careful design and management, and evaluation of effectiveness to optimise the potential benefits for wetlands and their fauna.
Keywords: Buffers, recreation, disturbance, wetlands, birds
The Victorian Naturalist 126 (3) 2009, 79-86

Feral Mallards: a risk for hybridisation with wild Pacific Black Ducks in Australia?
P-J Guay and JP Tracey

Abstract
Hybridisation is widespread in waterfowl and hybrids are often fertile. Mallards Anas platyrhynchos hybridise with numerous dabbling ducks and have been associated with decline in many Anas species with which they co-occur. Mallards have been introduced in Australia and New Zealand where they hybridise with indigenous Pacific Black Ducks Anas superciliosa. The extent of hybridisation in Australia is unknown, but Mallards pose a potentially serious threat to endemic duck populations and have already caused the extinction of some populations of Pacific Black Ducks in New Zealand, Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island. The distribution and abundance of Mallards and the extent of hybridisation in Australia must be determined as a priority to ensure the long-term genetic integrity of the Pacific Black Duck.
Keywords: Pacific Black Duck, Mallard, Hybridisation, Impacts, Australia
The Victorian Naturalist 126 (3) 2009, 87-91

Conservation Biology: a ‘crisis discipline’
Fiona Hogan and Raylene Cooke

Abstract
Conserving biodiversity is of utmost importance on a global scale. Species conservation, however, is a challenging task, which is often compounded by a lack of knowledge of target species. New advances in information technology and molecular techniques, however, are enabling conservation biologists to obtain large amounts of data quickly, which will certainly aid in assigning conservation priorities. This article reviews the use of genetics in conservation biology and highlights, using the Powerful Owl Ninox strenua as an example, how DNA can be a valuable source of data.
Keywords: Powerful Owl, Conservation, Surrogate Species, DNA, Feathers
The Victorian Naturalist 126 (3) 2008, 92-97

BOCA Western Port Survey: long-term monitoring of waterbird numbers
Xenia Dennett and Richard H Loyn

Abstract
Since 1973 volunteers from the Bird Observers Club of Australia (BOCA, formerly known as Bird Observers Club), have counted birds several times a year at their high-tide roosts within Western Port, a Ramsar designated site. The survey focuses on waterbirds and shorebirds in the tidally influenced areas. This paper presents data for some of the species that have declined, increased or remained constant in numbers during this period and mentions some factors responsible for these numbers.
Keywords: waterbirds; shorebirds; survey; Western Port; Bird Observers Club of Australia
The Victorian Naturalist 126 (3), 2009, 99-107