A far greater threat to our small birds are cats and no ground cover
for the little birds. And people keeping their gardens far too tidy - no
undergrowth, no insects.
I agree that Common Mynas show a worrying increase and are very
efficient parents defending their youngs against most native birds, and
I certianly don't want to see them in the numbers I saw them in Maui -
truly 1,000s gathering in a farm yard and then roosting at night in
trees behind the hotel I was staying in.
Numbers are increasing in Gloucester, slowly but surely. Property
owners used to shoot them when they appeared in spring on their barns
and sheds to breed but with the increase in townspeople buying up small
properties in this area, this doesn't seem to be happening and the birds
can breed in peace.
During a 3 year period (1914-1917) when I was helping a Newcastle
student conduct surveys into mynas in Newcastle, Gloucester and
Krambach, she noted that Crimson Rosellas and Rainbow Lorikeets could
successfully keep mynas from boxes but that Eastern Rosellas were more
likely to be evicted. She also noted that they were much better parents
than the rosellas, keeping sharp eyes on their nestlings and attacking
viciously any birds that came near.
We caught about 200 mynas in all (not a serious catching program), most
of which were euthanased, but that made little difference. I hated
having to keep the captured birds in the bags until I could take them to
the vet to be slaughtered. It would have been much kinder to do it when
first catching them. One time I found attached to the side of the trap,
the remains of a myna, chest eaten out and head missing - presumably a
sparrowhawk had caught it through the wire.
So please by all means target mynas but cats are worse, and people who
spend all their spare time mowing grass, and spraying weeds with nasty
chemicals. I expect I'll get some feed back on this!
Penny in Gloucester
On 16/11/2020 2:54 PM, Nevil Lazarus wrote:
Michael
I agree totally.
The decrease in bird species is alarming - and if one of the reasons is flying rats
🐀- then this needs to be addressed.
Best wishes, Nevil
On 16 Nov 2020, at 2:43 pm, Michael Hunter <> wrote:
Indian Mynahs are a pestilence on much of Sydney's suburbia.
They can be virtually totally eliminated by blocking their nesting cavities,
which are invariably under the eaves of houses, often via gutters.
Trapping and wringing their necks ("euthanising") is never ending, stopping
them from breeding is permanent.
In Suburbia it would be a big deal for all houses to block off, but should be a
program instituted by all the relevant Councils.
Education pamphlets distributed to all households, possibly the provision of mobile teams of ladder
men with a supply of old ("nylon") socks or wire netting would get completely rid of
these "flying rats".
Hopefully the return of many small native bird spp. to suitable areas would
follow. Particularly areas without uncontrolled cat populations .
I can personally vouch for this. The only Indian Mynah nest in a tree cavity
that I have seen was short lived thanks to either goannas or other hole nesting
birds . Not applicable in most of infested Suburbia.
Yours Very Sincerely
Michael Hunter.
Sent from my iPhone
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