threats facing an elusive owl population

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finchbreeder
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Not finches - but endangered birds - extract from article below.

Conservationists hope an education campaign will shed light on one of the bigger threats facing an elusive owl population of Margaret River — rodenticides.

Though home to several species of owl, the masked owl was only a relatively recent discovery in Margaret River, and a campaign to raise awareness of their presence coincides with an approaching deadline in a federal review of rodent poisons.

Coordinator of Owl Friendly Margaret River Region, Dr Boyd Wykes, said the elusive native bird often swooped on ailing rodents already debilitated by a household poison, leading to a slow and painful death themselves.

"We don't have much of a handle on these birds, we have only found half a dozen pairs nesting in Margaret River since the initial discovery in 2017," Dr Wykes said.

"It is crucial we do as much as we can to hopefully change behaviour and attitudes towards these baits and save what few owls may be around."

Dr Wykes said for the short term, householders could educate themselves in different ways to trap rodents without the use of poisons.

He suggested the use of non-lethal traps which allow the rodent to be released toxin-free and limiting the availability of food scraps around the house — particularly in rural settings.

Something to think about in how we dispose of rodents if we are near bushland that may be home to owls or raptors. Guess I better go back to using traps. Then drop the traps into a bucket of water.
LML
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Rod_L
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finchbreeder wrote: 15 Jun 2020, 09:55 Something to think about in how we dispose of rodents if we are near bushland that may be home to owls or raptors. Guess I better go back to using traps. Then drop the traps into a bucket of water.
LML
Drowning is a horrible way to die :(

Raptor and reptile poisoning happens in suburbia too. Herbicides used to kill grass and other plants, poisons frogs and ground dwelling birds. These are then eaten by higher predators and the chemical poisoning simply moves through the food chain killing as it goes.
death to all cats & ants
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finchbreeder
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Poisoning is not a fun way to die either. But neither is being eaten by rodents, if you are a baby bird. Take your pick, poison which goes through the food chain killing many, or drowning which only gets the guilty.
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noah.till
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Invest in a cheap air rifle? .177 is the best caliber for air guns and can knock down anything as big as a roo, and they are very quiet. Quick and humane idea but licensing takes time still
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Rod_L
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Get a dog to deal with the rodents. I trained both of mine in about 30 minutes and we used to go outside at night and hunt rats and mice in the vege garden. The kelpie was quick and would grab rats by the head, chomp 2 or 3 times and it was dead. Then she dropped them and I put the body in the bin.

I trained the dog groomer's dog to hunt mice too. She lived on a property with horses and about 10 million mice. Her dog (a mini poodle) was terrified of mice initially. But after having her dog help me clean up some mice in the shop, her dog was a qualified hunter. Apparently the following day, the dog got about 20 mice and left them by the front door for her owner. This continued for over a month before the numbers dropped :)
death to all cats & ants
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finchbreeder
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Dog is an excellent idea. My Jack Russell (RIP Janee) was the best ever mouse and rat killer. Guns are just too difficult for most people, though the Bro and Son could handle that a treat.
LML
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