Thanks for the generous offer Om. Are you in Australia? If not then I must sadly decline due to quarantine concerns. However, I'm sure that the problem isn't breeding, we have lots odfine leaved shrubs and bushes and each year we have babies. It's just that the sodding Currawongs are such efficient and effective killers.
We went away for 3 days and when we came back we both noticed how much the small bird population had dropped. We keep an eye on the Currawongs when we are here and "discourage" them for being aroudn.
then G for gourds. (search for gourds didn't work)
you might need to hand pollinate as well (like pumpkins). We grew one of their Large gourds (bottle) last years, but it wasn't pollinated and remained small and eventually rotted away.had
However, I'm sure
Hmm, if you have stuff like cotoneaster, pycantha, etc locally, do all you can to get rid of them. It is believed these are part of the reason, currowangs overwinter on these and thus survive in greater numbers for spring.
You also might like to observer if the small leaved stuff is actually protecting the small birds or if the currawongs "enter" the shrtubs in pursuit. chicken wire cage it or spiny pshrubs (bursaria)
Don't think I've never sent seeds to Australia. ;-) One just has to have the "knack" if you know what I mean.
Seriously, contact me off line. The beauty of birdhouse gourds is that you can control the hole size and keep the killers out and protect the young. House wrens are pretty tiny.
Of course, you can use just about any gourd, or build some small bird houses. It's just that the gourds are convenient and easy, and fast. One of my most valuable items is time it seems! Hence the "pop up" greenhouses I have. Spent maybe 1 hour max erecting each one and putting in the shelving.
Are you allowed to own an air rifle? Around here, those are not classified as a firearm.
Squirrel is delicious. Can't help but wonder the same about Currawongs?
I know it has been done but as I live on a farm and we derive part of our income from the land, I'm very conscious of the quarantine laws. I'd never do anything to contravene them. In fact I will vote against any government who tries to endanger our environment by chanhing our import laws as a result of sodding globalisation. Thanks again Om but since Teryc gave a site for them in Aus, I know I'll be able to get them locally. It's a good firm and I've used them before.
How do you make the nest?
One
Now that too sounds interesting. What is it and how do you make them.
aroudn.
I've got a gun licence and guns so that isn't a problem. I suspect that shooting Currawongs isn't allowed and a lead slug just makes then squark but............
Currawongs?
Some of the real old timers round here have eaten just about anything (like crows) but I've not heard of them eating currawongs. They'd probably be most like a crow in taste and size. I think I'll stick to real meat :-))
The sodding things live in the huge pinewind breaks around the machinery shed and shearing shed and the perimeters of the paddocks out from our house. They have lots of road kill to keep them going all year round. We must have at least 100 round here - probably more. At least they aren't the only birds we have. We saw a stunning little kingfisher today. It wasn't an Azure kingfisher and I haven't been able to find it in the 2 bird books I've looked at so far but it was gorgeous - rarer than some of the other birds we have though.
actually
They do protect them, thankfully. Too shrubby and twiggy and lots of it but the currawongs sit on the big trees and watch like proverbial hawks. The currawongs have now become very cautious. Walking out of the house with a gun makes then take off quick smart but we can't be here to protect the little birds all the time and they need to come out to feed at times when we aren't around.
The bird builds it's own nest inside. Just carve the hole small enough so the Currawong cannot get inside and the bird still can. Make sure the nesting space is at lest 6 cm. deep and drill 3 drain holes in the bottom for when it rains. They will build on top of the drains but it does not plug them.
I don't have any pics on hand right now, sorry. I cut a hole for the birds, drain holes in the bottom and stick a screwed in eye bolt in the top for hanging, and hang them up between 5 and 6 ft. up. Mine seem to go for the lower ones.
I got them from here:
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a google search using "dreamhouse greenhouse" and see if you can find one locally.
It's a good question, but I can't think of any legal methods for getting rid of currawongs. Being native, they would be a protected species, too. I expect the best you can do is to eliminate (or net) fruiting trees and berry bushes, to feed your cats/dogs indoors so there is no leftover food for the currawongs, the same goes if you put out food for birds, and to put netting over all water sources so only the small birds can get in to drink. Water sources include dripping garden taps, hoses, and even roof gutters that are so warped they store water after showers or heavy dew. Lawn sprinklers provide birds with drinking water, but as most of Oz is in drought, I suppose you are not using lawn sprinklers, but if you are maybe you could limit their use to nighttime?
Then when you've attended to all those measures on your property, do the same at your neighbours' places for a mile around!
Currawongs typically nest high up in leafy trees, so your getting to their nest is out of the question, usually.
-- John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)
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