Back in March I posted a question seeking help regarding the invasion of Common Mynas in my garden.
Coincidently, only a few days later a feature was broadcast on the Sunday programme regarding, among other topics, eradication measures that were available.
My immediate reaction was to purchase one of the trapping devices and commence destroying the invaders. Before sending off my hard earned cash, I thought I'd try something else, which I can now report appears to have been an outstanding success.
The problem was that the Mynas were chasing off all the native bird species, to the point that it was becoming rare to see anything other than Mynas. (There were around 20 or more that constantly stayed in the yard).
The approach I adopted was to encourage other (native) birds by providing food - YES, instead of not feeding any birds I decided to target-feed bird species!
I erected a large feeding platform on the side of a tree and obtained various bird grains and seeds and even pure honey which I placed on plates. Certainly the Mynas thought it was heaven, at least for the first few days, but then (as intended) other species started to appear in numbers.
To cut a long story short, after just 2 months we now have constant (all day long) visits from large numbers of Blue-Faced Honeyeaters, Rainbow Lorikeets, Noisy Miners and various other Doves etc.
I even set up a security camera so I can closely watch the goings-on, and witnessed the Mynas being "attacked" by the native birds, which was a bit of a turn-around.
I have not seen a Myna now for at least 1 week, and my yard is now full of species I'd never even seen before.
Obviously this is not very scientific and there may be another explanation for the total absence of the Mynas, however there is no doubt, at least in my mind, that the invasion of the Mynas has been directly impacted by deliberately encouraging these other species.
I'd be interested in reading comments from others.
Shane.
certainly a commendable effort to try a different approach like this. I don't know much about the common mynas, do they eat everything or are there certain plants/seeds they prefer that you could limit in your garden while providing the other birds with what they like? probably not but I think your doing a great job anyway. well done. Now if only we could find a similar solution to the foxes and rabbits around here! or cane toads which thankfully havent made it far enough into WA yet to get to us. hopefully it is too cold down here for them however being that they seem to thrive everywhere I suspect they would adapt to any conditions that is if the cold worries them at all which it probably doesnt.
Thank-you very much for your comments.
Common Mynas are known to eat just about anything, I have however noticed that they don't seem interested in pure honey just left on a dish. This is something I have exploited as Noisy Minors, Parrots and other Honeyeaters are more than happy to just sit and lick the honey. In my observations, when Common Mynas are at the feeding platform these other birds will vigorously chase them away to get to the honey.
What's interesting is that the other birds will feed in a much more cooperative manner, but don't seem to tolerate the Mynas. Is this because they recognise the Mynas as a foreign species? There are occasional squabbles among the native species, but generally they seem to understand their respective pecking orders much more clearly.
My approach certainly doesn't do anything to eradicate the Common Mynas as they've obviously just relocated elsewhere, but at least my garden is void of their presence for the time being.
Shane.
Shane - just a note - honey is not great for birds. If you are going to feed, I would suggest a proper nectar mix from a pet shop - this will be better nutritionally.
There are issues associated with feeding and I would recommend it not be something that you do every day. Please also make sure you keep the station clean as by attracting large groups of birds, diseases can be spread more easily amongst the population
Holly
Holly, thank-you for your input. I was not aware that honey is not good for feeding birds and will take your advice.
The feeding area is kept spotless. An advantage is that the feeding tray is actually a piece of corrugated roofing iron cut to about 1 mtr and mounted on a slight slope within a steel frame. The iron is almost self-cleaning however I do wash the area and scrub with a brush daily, before each feed is provided.
Thanks again,
Shane.
G'day guys - Luckily enough Indian mynahs are not big fans of either seed or artificial nectar - they much prefer picking through our rubbish for scraps such as meat & bread etc.(hence their success in the urban environment!!).
Unfortunately, leaving honey out for wildlife is not such a good idea as it can also contribute to the spread of disease through our native and exotic bee population. Nectar mixes formulated for nectar feeding birds are now readily available, even in Coles & Safeway supermarkets, and are nutritionally balanced to offer a reasonable alternative food source.
By far the best way to attract a range of birds to your garden is to incorporate native and indigenous plants. Layered planting (i.e. a mix of trees, shrubs, grasses and groundcovers - rather than lawn) using native / indigenous plants also seems to deter pest bird species such as the Indian mynah or the aggressive Noisy miner.
The jury is still out in Australia about feeding birds but having lived overseas and seen the benefits to urban bird populations and to people in the urban environment from feeding indigenous bird species I think the pros far outway the cons!! Enjoy!!!