Bunbury community members are being asked to play a part in tackling the problem corellas by reporting the movement of the birds to help the City of Bunbury formulate effective control strategies.
A survey form is now available via the City’s website which encourages people to record the movement and habits of introduced corellas and also nesting sites, which will help the City better understand their patterns.
This information will then allow City officers to form the best strategy to disperse corellas from high impact areas where the birds are causing a disturbance.
City environmental officer Colin Spencer said it was important that measures to deal with corellas did not simply move the birds to a different location where they would likely have the same impact.
“Corellas, like most cockatoo species, have predictable routines and movement patterns, so it is possible to reasonably predict how they will behave when dispersed,” Mr Spencer said.
“For example, corellas will take the same flight path to foraging areas or roosting sites at the same time almost every day. They will also fly in and out of an area in a predictable way.”
Each summer and autumn a population of non-native corellas causes a significant impact in Bunbury.
Complaints about the birds increased this year due to the noise they created and the damage they inflicted on infrastructure and flora.
“As part of the response to this issue, the City is investigating methods to disperse corellas from high impact areas, such as night roosting sites,” Mr Spencer said.
“The City is particularly interested in where the birds roost at night and their movement patterns when they approach or leave a roost site. The City would also like to know where the birds nest.”
The simple observation report would include the date, time, number of birds, behaviour and location of birds and can be downloaded online here.
Participating in the survey is voluntary and any personal information will be treated confidentially.
