09-28-2006, 02:39 AM
Andrew,
You've rescued a cardinal, too! Good to know you're out there helping out in this way!
That link that you provided for the Mejiro (Japanese: "mei" = eye + "jiro" = white) goes to Pete LaTourrette's site. He's an acqaintance of mine from the SF Bay Area. He's also a good friend of Jack Jeffrey, the best and most prominent photographer of native Hawaiian birds who lives on the Island. Jack's great photos can be purchased at his wife's shop, the Grove Gallery in Hilo. His photos appear in many books containing Hawaiian bird photos, like at the Nat'l Park's visitor center.
Hazen, I haven't heard anything in my "birding circles" about Mejiros experiencing any problems. They are one of the most successful introduced bird species in the Islands. They were introduced to the BI in 1937 (to O'ahu in 1929). I've seen them from sea level up to 5,000 ft. They supposedly occupy habitat up to treeline. Unlike many of the native species that are fairly specialized in the way and places they feed, Mejiro are very versatile foragers. They'll hang upside down like chickadees, picking at seeds or bugs, they'll sip nectar from flowers, and they'll cling to tree trunks, picking for bugs. Your thought about the construction dust and materials affecting them makes the most sense.
That's a great story about the tern and the gull. And it's nice that your group took the time and made the effort to separate them.
Helping out one bird here or there, may not make a significant difference in a species' population but it's just good karma, juju, mana.
Les
You've rescued a cardinal, too! Good to know you're out there helping out in this way!
That link that you provided for the Mejiro (Japanese: "mei" = eye + "jiro" = white) goes to Pete LaTourrette's site. He's an acqaintance of mine from the SF Bay Area. He's also a good friend of Jack Jeffrey, the best and most prominent photographer of native Hawaiian birds who lives on the Island. Jack's great photos can be purchased at his wife's shop, the Grove Gallery in Hilo. His photos appear in many books containing Hawaiian bird photos, like at the Nat'l Park's visitor center.
Hazen, I haven't heard anything in my "birding circles" about Mejiros experiencing any problems. They are one of the most successful introduced bird species in the Islands. They were introduced to the BI in 1937 (to O'ahu in 1929). I've seen them from sea level up to 5,000 ft. They supposedly occupy habitat up to treeline. Unlike many of the native species that are fairly specialized in the way and places they feed, Mejiro are very versatile foragers. They'll hang upside down like chickadees, picking at seeds or bugs, they'll sip nectar from flowers, and they'll cling to tree trunks, picking for bugs. Your thought about the construction dust and materials affecting them makes the most sense.
That's a great story about the tern and the gull. And it's nice that your group took the time and made the effort to separate them.
Helping out one bird here or there, may not make a significant difference in a species' population but it's just good karma, juju, mana.
Les