Hi Tweeters,

It's my impression that many invasive bird and plant species do best in
areas disturbed by human activity. I draw this impression from having
grown up in a very rural area where invasives and introduced species did
not appear to be much of a problem (at least at that time). However, a
journey to a more urban area would present quite a different picture.

House Sparrows and Starlings etc. are highly adaptive and seem to thrive
where human activity provides easy food and nesting "habitat." So it seems
to me that human encroachment into wildlife habitat and the resulting
habitat loss/degradation are among the primary factors that cause declines
in native species.

I'm interested to learn more. Does anyone have any information and/or
examples of where introduced Sparrows and Starlings cause problems in our
remaining WILD areas where human activity is not in close proximity? I
would presume that most farmland wouldn't be included as a wild area as it
is often modified from a pre-existing natural state, or at the very least,
disturbed.

Michele Herzberg
Kent, WA