Something we have returned to time and time again on The Bird Emergency is how we have removed the nesting opportunities for birds that require hollows, and the need for shelter by all sorts of wildlife.
Thankfully, there are many people looking at other options, other than waiting 100 years or so for natural hollows to form.
Dr. Kylie Soanes tells me about some of the options being explored in Melbourne, and some of the new materials being employed.
Kylie has a passion for nature conservation, and regularly shares it with broader audiences through the media and public talks, and is currently one of Science and Technology Australia’s ‘Superstars of STEM’.
Kylie was a logical guest for The Bird Emergency, and she shares some of the current approaches to increasing the available shelter and nesting birds (and other wildlife) in cities and urban settings. One of the techniques being examined and testing is 3-D printing bespoke "hollows" to fit existing trees. It is an exciting development, and hopefully will be adapted to be a cost-effective and successful strategy for planners and managers of public and private spaces.
Here are some interesting links related to this conversation;
You can download an article about the new generation of nest boxes and artificial hollows here;
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2021/09/scientists-call-on-public-to-count-fairy-wrens/
Kylie has a very cool TikTok
Check out Kylie's research on Google Scholar here
You can watch the conversation here
Dr. Kylie Soanes
Kylie Soanes completed her PhD in 2015, which examined building rope bridges to help endangered possums cross busy highways, and is currently based at the University of Melbourne. From 2016 to 2021, Kylie led the Shared Urban Habitat Project through the National Environmental Science Program, working closely with industry and government to develop a strong evidence base for urban conservation.
Research Fellow
University of Melbourne
