Well, it’s a new year — we look forward to working with you during 2007 to reduce the Indian Myna problem around the Canberra region and elsewhere in eastern Australia.
2006 was a big year for the Canberra Indian Myna Action Group Inc. Since starting in April we have now over 200 members and just over 200 people in the Canberra / Queanbeyan area with traps, almost 300 people on our email news distribution system and around 160 people on the CIMAG Chatline. Collectively we have now removed some 8 200 Indian Mynas from the Canberra district, giving our native birds some breathing — and breeding — space. Our website www.indianmynaaction.org.au has been established with information about Indian Mynas, the CIMAG Strategy, our Protocol on Animal Welfare, past issues of the Myna Matters Bulletin and the Application Form for the Canberra Indian Myna Action Group Inc, and a Trapping Help Sheet.
The message has grown through eastern Australia that there are things that the community can do to tackle this serious environmental problem. Groups have started up through northern NSW and we have received calls from Queensland to Tasmania and New Zealand.
The emphasis throughout 2007 will be on spreading the message to the general community and business that they also have a role — a key role — in reducing myna numbers. While trapping mynas is important, it is also very important that we reduce their feeding, nesting and roosting opportunities. By reducing their access to easy food (no pet food in backyards, better waste management around cafes, restaurants and shopping centres) and their access to roof cavities and other suitable nesting sites we reduce their capability to build up numbers.Spreading the message
If you know of groups — social, recreational or work — that you think might be interested in hearing of our efforts and what they can do to help this important practical environmental activity, members of the CIMAG Committee are available to speak to those groups. Let me know (via handke@grapevine.net.au or 02 6231 7461) if there are any such groups that would be interested in our work.
Are Mynas getting smarter
We are getting reports that some mynas are becoming wary of the myna trap or have learnt to back out after eating the food in the tunnels to the feeding chamber. If you have a similar experience we would be glad to hear of it. Some people are experimenting with modifications or alternative design to catch the “smart” ones. While some mynas are getting smarter, luckily there are enough young and naive ones around to get caught. They seem to have made up a high proportion of the captures in recent times.
Please report your captures
Occasionally not all people with traps respond to Peter Green’s monthly email request for capture numbers. We would ask that you do so, even if you have not caught any mynas or have not been trapping that month, just so that we have an accurate record of our collective efforts (and to save me the cost of phoning around).
Also we are aware that there are people who are trapping mynas who are not members of CIMAG and we do not record their captures. If you know of anyone who is involved in trapping, could you ask them to contact us ( via handke@grapevine.net.au or 02 6231 7461) so we can keep in touch. As we develop a robust scientific monitoring program it will be important that we know where trapping is taking place and the numbers being caught.Lend those unused traps to others
The order list for new traps just keeps getting longer as new people hear of CIMAG activities. If you would like to lend / sell your trap to others, just get in touch with me about lending it on — better someone else use it than let the mynas off the hook.
December trapping data
Trapping in December in the Canberra region has seen the demise of a further 1136 Indian Mynas: this is our highest monthly count so far and takes the grand total (that we know of) to 8243. This is an amazing effort, thanks to all of you involved. Again, people have been telling us that the small native birds are coming back into their gardens after the myna numbers have been substantially reduced through intensive trapping activity.
The capture data for Dec is as follows.
|
Suburb
|
December |
Mynas |
Aggregate |
Mynas |
# of Traps
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aranda | 26 |
355 |
14 |
||
| Ainslie | 6 |
10 |
4 |
||
| Bonython | 0 |
25 |
0 (was 1) |
||
| Bruce | 0 |
8 |
1 |
||
| Calwell | 24 |
53 |
2 |
||
| Campbell | 1 |
46 |
1 |
||
| Chapman | 32 |
85 |
9 |
||
| Chifley | 29 |
53 |
2 |
||
| Condor | 2 |
2 |
1 |
||
| Curtin | 43 |
78 |
3 |
||
| Deakin | 7 |
33 |
2 |
||
| Duffy | 0 |
276 |
1 |
||
| Dunlop | 0 |
31 |
3 |
||
| Evatt | 18 |
74 |
2 |
||
| Fadden | 32 |
136 |
2 |
||
| Farrer | 58 |
121 |
6 |
||
| Fisher | 65 |
83 |
3 |
||
| Florey | 0 |
6 |
1 |
||
| Flynn | 13 |
43 |
2 |
||
| Forrest | 31 |
31 |
1 |
||
| Garran | 39 |
308 |
3 |
||
| Gilmore | 0 |
0 |
1 |
||
| Giralang | 7 |
26 |
3 |
||
| Gordon | 0 |
53 |
2 |
||
| Hall | 13 |
650 |
4 |
||
| Hawker | 34 |
118 |
4 |
||
| Higgins | 0 |
0 |
1 |
||
| Holder | 0 |
20 |
2 |
||
| Holt | 0 |
0 |
1 |
||
| Hughes | 33 |
138 |
7 |
||
| Isaacs | 2 |
35 |
1 |
||
| Isabella Plains | 11 |
11 |
1 |
||
| Jerrabomberra | 12 |
38 |
3 |
||
| Kaleen | 0 |
58 |
3 |
||
| Kambah | 94 |
2900 |
21 |
||
| Karabar | 0 |
3 |
2 |
||
| Lyneham | 13 |
30 |
2 |
||
| Lyons | 44 |
164 |
5 |
||
| Macarthur | 0 |
8 |
1 |
||
| Macquarie | 19 |
108 |
2 |
||
| McGregor | 6 |
11 |
1 |
||
| Melba | 1 |
26 |
2 |
||
| Monash | 27 |
56 |
2 |
||
| Narrabundah | 18 |
41 |
3 |
||
| Nicholls | 26 |
96 |
3 |
||
| Pearce | 34 |
295 |
2 |
||
| Red Hill | 47 |
66 |
1 |
||
| Richardson | 67 |
71 |
2 |
||
| Scullin | 0 |
1 |
1 |
||
| Spence | 0 |
5 |
2 |
||
| Stirling | 0 |
12 |
1 |
||
| Swinger Hill | 3 |
13 |
2 |
||
| Theodore | 55 |
424 |
3 |
||
| Torrens | 11 |
18 |
2 |
||
| Turner | 0 |
0 |
2 |
||
| Wanniassa | 16 |
103 |
3 |
||
| Waramanga | 36 |
209 |
5 |
||
| Watson | 0 |
199 |
|||
| Weetangera | 7 |
7 |
3 |
||
| Weston | 39 |
179 |
4 |
||
| Yarralumla | 6 |
85 |
2 |
||
| Queanbeyan | 0 |
10 |
4 |
||
| Total | 1136 |
8243 |
To get onto the CIMAG news email distribution system for news and notices from the CIMAG Committee (this is different to the CIMAG Chatline), just send a blank email to news-subscribe@indianmynaaction.org.au and you will be automatically included on the distribution list. This will be the main way that the Committee will circulate information and notices to CIMAG members and “friends”.
You can also include yourself on the CIMAG Chatline by sending a blank email to chat-subscribe@indianmynaaction.org.au — if you want off, just send a blank email to chat-unsubscribe@indianmynaaction.org.auRSPCA Hours for Disposing of Trapped Mynas
Monday |
10:00am |
– |
11:00am |
4:30pm |
– |
5:30pm | |
Wednesday |
4:30pm |
– |
5:30pm |
Friday |
4:30pm |
– |
5:30pm |
Please take the trapped mynas / starlings to Building A, the Wildlife Building at the RSPCA Centre — it is the very first building in the RSPCA complex as you come down Kirkpatrick Street in Weston. If bringing mynas and starlings to the Centre for disposal, could you please use an opaque bag or box in view of possible sensitivity of some members of the public to trapped birds.
Bill Handke
President
CIMAG
6 February 2007