Any tree is now valuable for wildlife. Native or exotic it doesn't matter. So to lose our beloved Black walnut tree through the heavy rains and high winds of the last few days was quite a blow. When I woke this morning and as usual checked the garden for birds and found the walnut tree had quietly fallen.
This trees has hosted so many bird species including silvereye, grey warbler kingfisher and the 12 tui that often feed from our sugar solution feeder. More recently a pair of tame Barbary doves fly in perch on the tree then drink at the pond before heading off to the woodland edge of Shoal bay.
Young fantail regularly had their first flying lessons from this tree and kingfisher during the Christmas period use it as a perch to dive for earthworms observed on the lawn below probably to build up protein to feed their chicks.................