REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" />

REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition. The new theme is sung by Harry Hughes from his album Songs of the Garden. You can hear samples of the album from the website www.songsofthegarden.com

WILDLIFE IN FOCUS

with ecologist Sue Stevens

Spotted Pardalote-photo courtesy of Geo Nature

Do you like bushwalking or just walking through a park or reserve?As you walk through do you look at all the different patterns and textures? Parks, reserves and the bush is not just groups of trees. They’re made up of many different interconnected layers of plants and animals, all with different sunlight and moisture needs.

Did you know that there were so many layers within a forest, or bushland that birds occupy.
Not just the two or three that are most obvious.

Spangled Drongo-photo Geo Nature

Within this layered structure of plants in the bush or reserve live a vast number of birds and insects.
These animals also occupy different positions in the various layers of trees shrubs and groundcovers.
For example, the White Browed Scrub Wren lives in thick bush, but the grey fantail prefers thin bush.
Within the tree layers there's top, middle and the trunk that could be occupied by tree creepers, spangled, spangled drongos and spotted pardalotes right at the top.
Some birds live at the tops of the trees and feed on berries, while others, collect insects from the bush floor.

Red Browed Finch feeding on grass seeds-photo Geo Nature

Some insects live high in the different trees, feeding on leaves or other insects, some live in rotted logs, while others, find their habitat in the leaf litter on the forest or bush floor.
Then there's water birds,-shore birds, waders and pelagic birds which are those sea birds that don't come to shore.
If you have any questions about birds that occupy different habitat layers or have a photo to send it, drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.