Little corellas seem to be the State’s never ending problem.
The small unprotected native white cockatoos flock to towns across SA, damaging local infrastructure and causing noise nuisance during dawn and dusk.
They’re attracted to large open spaces with water sources, meaning each year huge numbers flock to Keith Stevenson Park at Mt Barker and the Soldiers Memorial Gardens at Strathalbyn.
And every year councils bring out a range of tactics to try and remove or deter them.
This includes everything from culling to drones and handmade clapper boards.
But up until now, none of these tactics have produced any meaningful, long-term solutions to the little corella problem.
It’s all very well for councils to continue trying their best to manage the birds within their districts.
But what we really need is a Statewide solution to the little corella problem.
The problem is not new, but, while some attempts have been made to improve it, like the State Government’s South Australian Little Corella Management Plan, nothing seems to have made a meaningful difference and it seems to be a problem that’s wound up in the State Government’s ‘too-hard basket’.
The Government needs to take a much more proactive approach to little corella management.
More funding needs to be invested into research in order to develop strategies that have proven outcomes.
It’s disappointing that a study at Murray Bridge, which aimed to build a desirable habitat for birds away from popular public spaces, wasn’t continued.
Effective strategies into the management of these birds could have a positive impact on council budgets as well as the mental wellbeing of residents impacted by their disruptive noise on a day-to-day basis.
It’s time for the State Government to step up, take responsibility for the problem and find a meaningful solution.
