Hungry birds devouring outback town
Monday, April 16, 2012 at 10:55 
Flocks of cockatoos feast on everything in sight (Image by Stuart Watt)Flocks of cockatoos are destroying community facilities, trees and power equipment at Orroroo in northern South Australia.
Thousands of birds have been around the town for months.
Council CEO Iian Wilson estimates the damage bill from the birds at more than $50,000.
"We've got some radio antennas at the council building and they've chewed the wires off the radio antennas. They chew the wires off the lights at the oval so, you know, on a Tuesday night when you go and play footy and you turn the lights on, well they just don't work," he said.
"It's got to a point that they're settling on the asphalt playing surfaces at the netball courts and the tennis courts and they were actually picking off the asphalt.
"What was happening was that there was seeds getting into the tracks in the asphalt and the cockatoos were after the seeds, so what they'd do is they pick off the asphalt."
The higher numbers of cockatoos are the result of good rainfall in the past year, which has boosted available water and feed.
Mr Wilson says the council has ruled out a cull but he admits scare tactics such as firing guns in the air or using plastic hawks as deterrents are not working.