We all have noticed, that obviously the BOPs have increased in numbers lately, probably due to the abundance of mice. Because of the "mouse plague", farmers in SA and NSW are calling for the government to undertake massive "baiting actions". What devastating impact is that going to have on the BOP and Owl poulation ??? There is nothing we can do about it, is there? It's just sad, and I'm worried , what it will do to birds, when they eat those poisoned mice ?
Sorry, I should have put this under "General"
M-L
Araminta, it is hard to imagine what will happen to BOP's with the baiting of all those mice. Some birds, like the Letter-winged Kite rely on occasional mouse plagues so they can have a successful breeding season. If the mice are never allowed to get to plague proportions again, then the future of the letter winged kite looks pretty dark.
Cheers, Owen.
That is an awful prospect. What about the black-shouldered kite? And all the owls? It would be dreadful to think of them suffering.
Not only are mice a problem in rural areas, I read in the paper last week suburban Meadowbank here in Sydney has a mice plague too. Some say this is attributed to the massive development with blocks of units going up everywhere, whilst the council said it was due to the heavy rains and minor flooding in the district a few weeks back. Probably a bit of both.
Some of the biggest rats I have ever seen in my life were at Wynyard underground station in the wee hours of the morning. They were darting about the place everywhere, just last month my neighbour observed a Kookaburra fly past with a large rat still alive! Raven