Feral birds targeted
Bunyip, Page: 1. Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Gawler Council will commit up to $1500 tackling the town’s Little Corella problem, in a bid to end the bird’s costly destruction of local community facilities and the natural environment.
Elected members approved minor culling of the corellas at last month’s council meeting, with action planned before vast numbers of the species are expected to return to the area between late spring and autumn.
Council also endorsed the culling of other pest species such as feral pigeons as part of the program.
In a deputation at the meeting, Gawler Bowling Club secretary Merv Ayris said the scratching and digging of the corellas had already caused about $7000 worth of damage to the three artificial bowling greens the club installed at a cost of $800,000 last year.
Mr Ayris requested regulatory and financial support from council to combat the issue, identifying the area from Gawler Oval to the Gawler Caravan Park as the worst affected.
In a letter to council, he also revealed the bowling club had conducted two public meetings on the matter in the past three months, in an attempt to garner community support for the eradication project.
“We have sought information from many sources on moving the Little Corella away,” he said.
“The conclusion from the investigation is that we need to present to the birds a fear of humans, at their roost sites, by shooting and frightening them.”
Mr Ayris said the club recently met with the Sporting Shooters’ Association of South Australia who regularly deal with similar culling projects and have offered their services locally free of charge.
He said an important part of the project would be to encourage the birds to roost elsewhere, where their needs can be met with trees and grass patches.
“We certainly do not wish to destroy the species, simply make them afraid of humans in the town and provide an alternate site for them,” Mr Ayris said.
Some business and sporting organisations and associations in the area have declared that they will provide some monetary assistance for this project.
“Timing will be of great importance so we need to have everything in place before the little Corella return to our area again.”
Councillor Adrian Shackicy successfully moved several motions at the meeting in a bid to shape councils approach to the Corella problem.
As well as “shredding” several large Norfolk pine and red gum trees along the river, Cr Shackicy said the birds had damaged the roof and wiring at the Gawler Sport and Community Centre and destroyed the shade cloth at the swimming pool.
“The Corellas have moved in, in absolutely massive numbers over the last three or four years, in the order of 10,000 or more of them,” he said.
“About 10 years ago council got active along with some bodies in the community and did undertake some moving on type activities and they were quite successful, but in the last few years very little has happened.”
Cr Shacklev said Corellas are a “very aggressive bird” and pose a serious threat to other birdlife and wildlife.
“They need to be a bit more fearful and then they will move on,” he said. “Minor culling is the answer; it’s the only thing that’s been proven to work.”
Council endorsed action to reduce the harm caused by the corellas, using firearms or other appropriate methods of culling to move the birds on in a coordinated campaign across several sites.
Council staff have also been authorised to either manage an appropriate Little Corella control program in conjunction with affected community or organisations and landholders who are prepared to con tribute funds or assistance or approve an appropriate control program by the community organisations themselves. All programs are required to adhere to the codes of practice of the Department for Environment and Heritage, be carried out by licensed individuals and with appropriate notices to police and residents and not litter public places with destroyed birds. It agreed to fund the control programs for the 2009-10 financial year up to an initial limit of $1500.
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