Tackling a suburban pest

Today’s find was kind of sad, but it made me angry, too.

I walked across the backyard from the car (just got back from dropping Wren at school & Mr Bump at preschool) and noticed a strange sticky lump near the trampoline. It looked like some kind of weird slug-like creature, but then I noticed that I could see a spine and what looked like ribs.

Using a twig, I moved it and it became apparent that what I’d found was the unhatched foetus of a brown Indian Mynah bird. The egg must have been knocked or blown from its nest.

Indian Mynahs are an introduced species, brought in to deal with locust plagues in the 1880s. Of course, they instead became one of the biggest threats to native birds in Australia. One less is a blessing, I suppose. At least the dead baby bird wasn’t a native, like the grey Noisy Mynah.

So what can we do in our own backyards?

It seems the main way we can make a difference is to Plant Australian natives. This will support existing local native birds and Indian Mynahs apparently prefer imported species.

Also, don’t feed birds or leave pet food out. Native birds don’t need it and it will just encourage more mynahs to breed.

Our local council has native plant give-aways in spring, so check with yours to see if they do.

I miss seeing rosellas, and hearing the songs magpies and laughing kookaburras… It’s time to bring them back.

An Unexpected Visitor

Wren, Mr Bump and I were talking on the back step this afternoon, when we heard a voice talking in the jacaranda above us.

We looked up, and down swooped the most beautiful sulphur-crested cockatoo and perched near us on the wooden beam of our pergola. He (it’s usually only male birds who talk) strutted around chatting with us for a good 2 hours, following us as we moved around the yard.

In particular, he seemed to really enjoy watching the kids bouncing on the trampoline.

We’ve found that he had escaped from a yard behind ours, where he gets regular petting. He’s still hanging around so he should return home when he’s had enough freedom.