I have a pair of Dollar Birds that nest in a dead tree hollow in the bush at the back of my place every year. They do their thing usually from oct thru to march then head back home when their young start to fly. Only one usually. Last year after the egg(s) were laid and they had been nesting for a while something got at the eggs. I couldn't see what it was but suspected maybe a frilly lizard. The hollow is about 10 mtrs off the ground and is just smooth trunk. Does this sound likely and if so is there anything I can do to stop it happening again this year. Maybe something at the base of the tree? I would appreciate any suggestions to help these wonderful birds.
Hi Greg. Here in Tasmania, the electricity company puts a piece of sheet metal about 1.5-2m off the ground, wrapped around the wooden poles in order to prevent mostly brush tail possums from climbing to their death and also preventing electricity outages. I have also seen similar tactics used by farmers in order to provide protection to trees in paddocks. Haven't actually measured, but it looks maybe 600mm wide, and prevents them being able to get a grip to climb. Might be worth looking into?
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
The sheet metal trick worked for a mate who wanted to keep possums off his roof.
Keep in mind that nest predation by lizards, possums & other native creatures is part of the life cycle & food chain. If you have plenty of bush with old trees with nesting hollows then a reasonable balance of native species should be maintained. However, if you only have a small patch of bush &/or your bush is of low quality then bushland restoration &, eventually, nest boxes would be most helpful to maintain the biodiversity in the long term.