Thanks Archer, in respect of unwell mice the only approved poison for field use is Zinc Phosphide which is toxic to non-target species such as birds if they directly ingest the treated grain. It
is less harmful to non-targets if they eat poisoned mice because it breaks down in the mouse’s body to zinc and phosphine gas, and thus dead or dying mice are said to be unattractive because they become bloated and favoured to be consumed. Your mouse certainly
doesn’t look bloated, and it seems to be unclear whether it was dead or alive when first picked up by the A Raven.
Of more concern are the anti-coagulants particularly the second generation ones like brodifacoum and bromadialone. While there is usually enough poison ingested in the first feed, they are very
slow poisons and don’t kill the mice or rat until around 8 days or so. In the meantime mice keep eating the bait and become super toxic as the poison builds up in the body as it is very slowly metabolised.
Thankfully the APVMA has refused the permit to use bromadialone on grain as you may have seen this week. To describe it as a “Napalm-like poison” is completely erroneous.
Unfortunately not being registered doesn’t mean second generation anti-coagulants aren’t actually used in mice plagues like the current one, due to the desperate situation any poison that the user
can lay their hands on is often used “off-label”.
Jack Holland
From: Canberrabirds <>
On Behalf Of Archer Callaway via Canberrabirds
Sent: Friday, 25 June 2021 8:45 PM
To: COG Chat <>
Subject: [Canberrabirds] Fw: Raven eating mouse
email not going through so trying with photo as a link instead of attachment
I went to look at the family of Black-shouldered Kites in Coree today, and witnessed an Australian Raven swallow a mouse whole. Would a raven be capable of catching and killing
a mouse, or can we expect that it was already dead/sick, possibly from poisoning? The presence of mice does explain why the BSKs have chosen the spot and the 4 large young, but if this indicates the latter, then unwell mice could could pose problems?
