canberrabirds

Fw: NOWRA CONFERENCE

To: "'Canberra Birds'" <>
Subject: Fw: NOWRA CONFERENCE
From: "Bruce Lindenmayer" <>
Date: Wed, 20 May 2009 21:37:32 +1000
INDIAN MYNA CONFERENCE
 
 On 13 May, the Canberra Indian Myna Action Group, assisted by Commonwealth's Envirofund, sponsored an all day conference in Nowra entitled "Towards Best Practice Indian Myna Control"; a conference which will be a stimulus for much wider control of mynas throughout NSW. 
Around 80 delegates attended, representing 22 NSW councils, community & landcare groups, government agencies, and universities. The conference provided the opportunity to inform delegates about recent research on myna biology, ecology and control measures and to share knowledge on low cost programs for myna control.
 
Initial papers presented included an overview of mynas as an invasive species (Prof Tony Peacock from the Invasive Animals CRC), research on trapping and removal of mynas in the ACT (Kate Grarock - ANU PhD Scholar) and in Blacktown Council area (Justine Clarke - Blacktown Council & Ricky Spencer - University of Western Sydney).
Chris Tidemann (ANU researcher, well known to COG members) presented papers on larger scale experimental trapping of mynas at roost sites and trials on the use of carbon monoxide for euthanasia; work which potentially offers a low cost, humane and practical solution for community action.  
John Yim (Sydney University vet student) reported on initial research into whether mynas carry pathogens, which have been killing native birds such as Tawny Frogmouths in the Sydney region.
Several papers were delivered on the formation and building of groups, co-operation with local governments, maintaining enthusiasm, trap design and manufacture, trapping techniques and euthanasia. Speakers were CIMAG's Bill Handke, Central Coast Group's Matthew Whitehouse and Anna Hernell & Rod Simpson from Shoalhaven .
 
Tony Peacock demonstrated a new interactive spacial mapping program (MynaScan) which (based on an existing program for rabbits) might be used to record myna densities, roosting and nesting sites.
 
The afternoon session involved discussions on ways for councils and communities to work together, trapping and public education, animal welfare, and constraints to more effective myna management. There was enormous enthusiasm to move forward and to share ideas.
 
Councils are reacting to pressure from ratepayers "to do something to control mynas", but have varied considerably in their responses. Shoalhaven City Council has been outstanding in setting-up and co-ordinating more than 30 voluntary groups throughout a large local area and working with mens' sheds building traps. Other notable reports came from the Bega Valley, where volunteers have so far excluded mynas by targetting them along migration routes. An official from SA attended to learn how the state government could prevent mynas entering SA from westen Victoria. In Tamworth, the council has been highly successful in trapping at the local tip, whilst at Murrumbateman, Jaqui Stol and Chris Davey have been working effectively with the Murrumbateman Landcare Group in the vineyards.
 
CIMAG will publish proceedings of the conference and draft a "Best Practice Guide for Indian Myna Control" on which participants at the conference will have an opportunity to comment.
 
Bill Handke & Bruce Lindenmayer
 
 
 
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