Hi all,
Just wondering if any of the councils around Sydney are doing anything about controlling these birds, there are so many.
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I don't live in Sydney, doublebar, but I imagine controlling Indian mynahs requires a multi-pronged approach. My guess is that a chief prong would be to use indigenous plant species to replace introduced species in order to optomise the chances of native birds competing successfully with the feral mynahs.
Doublebar I know that Blacktown council has instituted indian myna eradication measures. Outside Sydney, Canberra has also made advances. You can find quite a bit of information about the programs with a bit of googling. Unless councils have responsible people in their numbers they need to be pushed into action by concerned residents like yourself. Make yourself heard. Indian mynas are a menace to native birds, taking over their territory and evicting them from their nests.
ok thanks guys.
For Australian birds, natives=life, exotics=death, so do them a favour and go plant some natives and save their lives.
Canberra is quite well noted for its Mynah control programmes...
Spurred on by your question, I checked my local council (Camden) website for any data, but I couldn't find anything with a superficial search...
But I did a Google search, and found this:
http://www.camden.nsw.gov.au/files/environment/2013/indian_myna_bird_eradication_program_updated.pdf
It's a snazzy, current, sheet, but pretty useless...
But, this was interesting:
http://www.indianmynaaction.org.au/documents/Around%20the%20Traps%20December%202012.pdf
Specifically, which Council were you looking for? They all do things a little bit different.
Woko, the reason Indian Mynahs are such a problem in Sydney is the proliferation of suburban yards. Sydney is afflicted with an awful degree of urban sprawl, and most of the outer suburbs consist of houses coupled with grassed yards and the odd garden bed, which is perfect habitat for Mynahs. Also, I think the growing numbers of pets make the situation worse, as there seems to be a link between the two.
2-3 years ago a bunch of people in my street got dogs. Then a bunch of Mynahs moved into the street which had been completely Mynah free previously. They haven't gone since... My thought would be leftover pet food?
Yes they love pet food. They are very clever and resourceful. You did a good job of googling Lachlan.
I live in the hurstville / rock dale area and there is quite a bit of native vegetation mainly in golf clubs and public parks but I don't think it's that far, by air anyway, from a national park, I know for a fact that when I catch the train to campbelltown it travels through some native bush and there's native bush along parts of the George's river which isn't too far. I've seen quite a few native birds coming in to my yard of different sizes and I'm sure that they would hang around if it wasn't for these aggressive minahs, starlings are fairly bad too but there's not too many of those. I've been feeding wild birds for awhile but all I see is minahs, doves, starlings, feral pigeons, and crested pigeons and currawongs from time to time. I was thinking of establishing a colony of some native birds that would come back to feed in my yard but with these characters around that would be a total waste of time.
For Australian birds, natives=life, exotics=death, so do them a favour and go plant some natives and save their lives.
I think lots of the bush in that area has been protected by the army reserve- it discouraged development to the south. I guess the steep terrain towards the Georges River also helped protect the area. It's a shame that most of the native birds you get staying in your backyard are feral. The starlings etc must have a fairly secure food source if they stay constantly- maybe if you could locate it you could contact your local government about it?
Generally, planting native plants will encourage native birds. I don't think birds like wattlebirds and lorikeets compete with mynahs and starlings for food. If you're feeding bird seed to the local birds, that could be part of your problem, as mynahs seem to be pretty efficient scavengers. Perhaps cutting the feeding for a few months (to chase the feral birds away), and then installing a few birdbaths for the native birds would help your mynah problem?
A lot of people in my neighbourhood feed mince to the Magpies and Currawongs. I don't know how good it is for them, but a site on the net suggests trying preservative free lean mince, and they would be more enjoyable to have around than the hordes of ferals.
I couldn't find much info about your local council's policy about mynahs. They didn't have much on the internet. Perhaps you could try ringing them and asking about the protocols of trapping mynahs if you wanted to try that avenue. You should check with them though before putting traps out for mynahs- there might be local regulations against it incase native animals are harmed and to protect themselves from potential complaints.
Traps seem relatively plentiful on ebay... Apparently Bunnings used to stock them but I can't find them in their current stock manifest. Many local councils have a borrow and return with deposit type of scheme running, but I couldn't find anything about such schemes in Rockdale or Hurstville.
Lane Cove council seems to have a running scheme, but they might not allow you access as you are not a local ratepayer... And it is on the other side of Sydney...
http://www.lanecove.nsw.gov.au/Living%20in%20the%20Area/Parks/Facilities/IndianMynaBirds.htm
Still, there is an email address, and inquiries never hurt.
Also, the aforementioned Canberra Indian Myna Action Group has a useful website:
http://indianmynaaction.org.au/
They have plans for making your own trap and comment that you can obtain traps off them if you are going anywhere near Canberra.
Sorry about the length, but I kept finding other things to add. Hope this all helps you with you problems!
Oh, and a comment about control: I imagine eliminating any feral species would be a bit like eradicating infectious diseases (eg smallpox). With that, herd immunity is the goal, and thus I guess rejuvenating bushland and decreasing the amount of acceptable habitat (and, thus population density) would be the aim.
IMO, trapping probably isn't the best way to do it. It's not the birds fault they're here, and operates on entirely too small a scale. But, again, people have had some remarkable success with it in Canberra, haven't they? I guess it does all come down to, as Woko said, an integrated approach.
Doublebar feeding wild birds is one of the reasons that feral species thrive. I understand the temptation to feed native birds because they have lost so much habitat and therefore food supply, but I am convinced the remedy is not to supplement their food supply but increase their habitat by growing species native to the area and growing them as thickly as possible, replacing, where possible, sterile, water-guzzling lawns and concrete/tiled areas. I love to have visits from native birds and I have found that birdbaths do a great job of attracting them. I have about twenty native species come to my bath and it is usually full of activity, so much so that I have to fill it every few hours or so that I am home. Fortunately it is just on the deck outside my back door. I should add that there are responsibilities that go with having a birdbath, ie keeping it filled, clean and, as much as possible, inaccessible to feral birds. This last duty is the hardest one to fulfill, but I think it is essential because feral birds foul the water and in so doing probably spread disease. Fortunately I don't have problems with feral species where I am, but I have found it a problem in the past. Maybe the trick is to locate the birdbath amongst foliage. Mynas, sparrows and starlings tend to like open areas where they can see for a distance all around them.
It is opportune to comment here that Araminta usually had much to contribute on the subject of feeding wild birds. She has taken a short holiday from the forum, but I hope she will be back soon because she is such a valuable member of the forum in terms of her knowledge, experience, observations and fine photography skills. The forum is poorer without her.
You're right about using native vegetation but the nurseries should also be made responsible and forced to sell only native plants since most people are totaly ignorant about their natural environment or just don't care. The government should also play a role and restrict the sale of exotic plants just as they do with the introduction of exotic animals. Hope Araminta returns soon she sounds very helpful.
For Australian birds, natives=life, exotics=death, so do them a favour and go plant some natives and save their lives.
Postings on this topic reveal how ridding our great nation of Indian mynahs is such a complex issue. Even the nursery industry has a role to play in eradicating the problem by promoting the sale of indigenous plant species. Whether it's prepared to play this role is another matter.
The way we structure our private & public gardens seems to be important as Indian mynahs prefer open woodlands. Dense plantings of indigenous species would seem to play a role in reducing habitat for the mynahs, improving habitat for native species & optimising their chances of competing with the mynahs.
I note that Indian mynahs nest in holes & cavities & this can be almost any time of the year. So making sure their nests are removed & any cavities & holes in buildings are blocked is an important part of the overall strategy. Enlisting the help of utility companies & tradies in this part of any eradication plan is important. Inspecting tree hollows & removing any Indian mynah nests will not only discourage nesting but also make the hollows available for native birds such as rosellas.
Even the packaging industry has a part to play as Indian mynahs use a wide range of nest materials. Homo sapiens, of course, can play an important part by keeping the environment free of crap, feeding pets in secure areas & cleaning up pet food leftovers.
Artificial feeding of birds would seem to encourage mynahs so the preferred feeding method is, again, to plant species indigenous to the area in which you live.
No doubt there are many other ideas which could form part of an integrated approach to ridding Australia of this feral species.
Trying to ban exotic plants is unrealistic. If you want to help native birds you should have realistic goals, and positive rather than negative actions. In my opinion too much scarce conservation funding is spent in urban areas, rural conservation is mainly left to concerned individuals.
Sorry, I wasn't trying to be controversial but if I had to choose I would choose Australia's fauna and flora over exotic animals and plants. I would remove the feral ones at least. Australia's fauna and flora is just too fragile and it's under constant stress from our activities. People need to know the environment they live in, being apathetic won't help anyone in the long run. You're right about scarce funding, it just goes to show that Australia's fauna and flora takes a back seat when it comes to making a profit. I still believe that we can all undo the damage that has been done to Australia's natural environment. Extinction is forever, once it's gone it's gone.
For Australian birds, natives=life, exotics=death, so do them a favour and go plant some natives and save their lives.
GregL, I don't think Doublebar was advocating a wholesale clearance of foreign plants- it would be impractical and counterproductive. Rather, I think Woko and Doublebar were more suggesting increased promotion of native plants and gardens, which are sometime considered inferior to exotic imports.
A good example of this is Canberra- when the city was constructed, huge amounts of exotic trees were imported to beautify the city. They do a wonderful job, and and removing them would make Canberra a poorer and harsher place. However, (in an anaolgy for the rest of the nation) these exotic species should be replaced with native counterparts as they die or are removed over time.
When you take a train into central Sydney from any of the outer suburbs, you generally get a good view of what the people living by the side of the tracks are doing with their backyards. Too many of these are, as Night Parrot said, 'sterile, water-guzzling lawns and concrete/tiled areas' . It would do wonders for the urban wildlife if many of these could be gradually transformed back into an image of what had been ther prior to development.
Doublebar, how do you think society should go about eliminating feral species? I agree with you that effors need to be made to minimise the impact of feral species, but am unsure of how total eradication would be achieved.
GregL raises a good point. The BIBY forum probably has more of an urban/suburban focus whereas there are large rural expanses in need of financing for conservation and regeneration. Urban/suburban dwellers have a greater capacity to look after their own patches compared to that of their country cousins. Pity that more don't use that capacity.
What's the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service doing about the feral birds, anyone?
For Australian birds, natives=life, exotics=death, so do them a favour and go plant some natives and save their lives.
NPWS probably does very little about Mynahs. It's a bit outside their area- Mynahs are mostly a urban issue, and don't go beyond light woodlands into dense forest (usually). From what I've read, I think their efforts are more aimed at mammalian pests and noxious weeds.
This makes interesting reading. The message is "Get Involved".
http://www.indianmynaproject.com.au/sites/default/files/media/docs/IndianMynaActionPlan-%20Northern%20region.pdf
Questions: How many feral species in Australia are endangered or on the verge of extinction in Australia because of human activities? Compare this with the number of Australian species which are in the same situation. If we can make Australian species extinct why can't we make feral species extinct in this country?
The Pied Currawongs are doing there bit here in Canberra.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
That looks like a sparrow to me, they also eat native small birds I've seen them hunting down finches, robins and thornbills. They're indiscriminate killers of small birds. I've just found a video on Australia's small birds called " the plight of Australia's small birds" check it out on youtube, worth watching.
For Australian birds, natives=life, exotics=death, so do them a favour and go plant some natives and save their lives.
your attention may have been drawn to the wing colour that seems right for House Sparrow but wrong for Common Myna; however the yellow legs, feet & beak and other visible colours suggest Common Myna
Peter
Actually I was looking at the shape of the beak which looks conical, typical of seed eating birds, as for the color, it's probably a baby sparrow and being naturally lighter, the sunlight give its beak and legs an orange color.
For Australian birds, natives=life, exotics=death, so do them a favour and go plant some natives and save their lives.
Looks like a Mickey to me- right patterns, yellowey orange beak and feet, light grey breast.
I thought the same except for the two adult indian's screaming at the Currawong and chasing after him when he flew off.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Guys I still don't think it's a noisy miner it's just too small and for the Indian mynahs chasing it well they even chase cats and dogs.
For Australian birds, natives=life, exotics=death, so do them a favour and go plant some natives and save their lives.
Many animals aren't species specific when giving alarm calls so the agitation of the Indian mynahs doesn't mean the currawong has a minor in its beak. Young house sparrow for me.
By the way is a Mickey Canberrian for a house sparrow, Shorty?
Don't think so but you could ask Lachlan where the name comes from since he called it that
As for it being a Sparrow i told blind freddy someone thought is was a Sparrow 2 hours ago and he hasn't stopped laughing since
Or maybe it is from Tenterfield
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Here is a crop for those still thinking it is a Sparrow.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
In my part of the world (Brisbane) "Mickey" refers to Noisy Miners - blowed if I know why though...
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
Thanks, Timmo.