The management of Fairbairn golf course also reports that coloured balls are more popular than white ones with Australian Ravens, and that they lurk in wait for them. Balls are
sometimes dropped on the runway at the adjacent Canberra Airport, perhaps in an attempt to break them open. I also often come across golf balls of all colours in the bush far from any golf course or practice range and assume that ravens are the bearers of
these. Foxes will also gnaw on them, whether before or after they have been transported by ravens I know not.
Alison
From: Geoffrey Dabb <>
Sent: Wednesday, 31 July 2019 11:46 AM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] Ravens and balls, again
The usual conversation in the golf shop about whether ravens target orange balls or ‘will take any ball’. Notwithstanding I got a box of new Callaway bright orange
matte finish. Yesterday at Royal Narrabundah at the very first hole a raven flew directly down and took the first (virgin) Callaway orange matte finish back to its pine tree. Thereafter an ordinary white ball was used without incident. I don’t know about
all Canberra courses but Narrabundah and Duntroon are particularly bad for this sort of thing. I believe a small number of orange-fixated resident ravens are the main problem. Certainly white balls are taken occasionally.
