Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.PCS 1/10/84; site mtgzz.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!panda!genrad!decvax!tektronix!uw-beaver!cornell!vax135!houxm!ihnp4!drutx!mtuxo!mtgzz!seb From: seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) Newsgroups: net.rec.birds Subject: Re: The Great Net Cleanup Part IIb Message-ID: <1029@mtgzz.UUCP> Date: Tue, 6-Aug-85 21:14:24 EDT Article-I.D.: mtgzz.1029 Posted: Tue Aug 6 21:14:24 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 12-Aug-85 01:42:29 EDT References: <697@gatech.CSNET>, <849@mtuxo.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Information Systems Labs, Middletown NJ Lines: 31 I have often wondered what this continent would be like without the ever-present starling imported from England. It looks like the house finch may fall in the same category, though house finches are a bit more attractive. House finches probably eat fruit and seeds, which make them a menance to fruit farmers and other native seed-eating birds. Is there evidence that the house finches are driving away the native finches? Are they stealing nesting sites from the other birds? Obviously their prescence has some impact but is their introduction detrimental to other birds or are they filling a niche that was empty? (I find that hard to believe!) Now that they're here, what do you do about them? What do you do about house sparrows and starlings? They seem to be so cantankerous that we can't throw them out anymore! And what if we could? Would removing them from the ecosystem now have disasterous effects? How many insects do starlings, house sparrows and house finches eat? If we could rid of them all would the native birds be able to eat up all the extra insects? Would they be able to eat all the extra weed seeds? It seems it's aw- fully hard to turn back once you're played with the ecosystem. The thing that bothers me most about the introduction of non-native species is all the other little native birds that are driven out. I've never seen a bluebird because all the starlings stole their nesting sites! And replacing the bluebird with a starling seems absolutely criminal! Man has to have his hand in everything. And more often than not he screws up with his short-sighted attempts to play God and make money. Sharon Badian ihnp4!mtgzz!seb