Little corellas brighting up a tree. Photo: Michael DawesTHE annual invasion of corellas in Old Noarlunga could be met with flashing lights, sirens and giant balloons with eyes on them hanging from the trees.
But it won’t be a carnival they’re flying into.
These are some of the scare tactics recommended by Victorian corella expert Ian Temby, to repel the 18,000 birds that damage trees and leave a mess with their droppings each summer.
“The key with any scaring strategy is variety and novelty,” Mr Temby told the Southern Times Messenger.
“You can’t let them get used to anything, you have to surprise them and keep them on their toes.”
Mr Temby was commissioned by Onkaparinga and Alexandrina councils, the Natural Resources Management Board and Environment Department, to visit Old Noarlunga and write a report into corella solutions, which was completed last month.
He said the balloons would replicate the threat of a live predator, while the sirens and lights would repel the birds by creating fear and discomfort. He also suggested shooting some of the first arrivals as a warning to the rest of the flock.
Onkaparinga’s development manager Terry Sutcliffe said the next step was to meet with key stakeholders, including residents and State Government agencies, to map a plan of attack.
“We have to consider the impact any of the actions will have on residents because there are differing views about corellas,” Mr Sutcliffe said.
In previous years, the council has trialled starting pistols, spotlights and the Birds of Prey program, which uses a falcon and a wedge-tailed eagle to scare the corellas.
Each proved ineffective or expensive.
Old Noarlunga Commercial and Residents Association president Tony Conway said residents had been battling with corellas since the 1990s.
“Scaring these birds away will require a whole lot of different actions,” Mr Conway said.
“They get used to one thing and realise it won’t hurt them, so they ignore it. We have to keep changing what we do to keep them unsettled.”
Friends of the Little Corella Group chairwoman Maree Smith said the group was supportive of strategies that did not kill or injure the birds.