Playford Council looks to bring in an eagle as corellas cause havoc in the suburbs
CORELLAS have plagued Adelaide’s southern suburbs for years but it’s in the north they are causing the most havoc at the moment, damaging playgrounds, street lights and even a golf course.
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CHIEFS at Playford Council are considering using an eagle to scare away corellas wreaking havoc on its buildings, playgrounds, street lights and even a golf course.
Thousands of the birds have flocked from the Far North to areas in Munno Para, Smithfield Plains and Craigmore in the past two months.
Playford Council estimates the birds have caused about $50,000 worth of damage during that time, including chewing electrical wires and street light covers along Curtis Rd, Munno Para.
Shade sails at the Playford Alive Town Park have also been torn, trees across the region are missing bark and leaves, and greens at the North Lakes Golf Course are filled with sporadic holes, caused by the corellas digging for beetles and other insects.
But the worst damage is at the Stretton Centre on Peachey Rd, Munno Para, where electrical cables for lighting and signs have been chewed, silicone between tiles has been gnawed away and staff endure high-pitched squawking morning and late afternoon.
Playford buildings manager Guy Trace said “thousands” of the birds had flocked to the area, roosting there during the warmer seasons. They were due to leave when it gets colder.
He said the council was looking at environmentally friendly ways to remove the birds, including hiring an eagle trainer to fly an eagle overhead, or a shock system, which would zap the birds with a low voltage surge to scare them without doing physical harm.
“Anything electrical and material, they will destroy,” Mr Trace said.
He said corellas were known to have a good memory, which meant if they saw an eagle or experienced an electric shock at a given site, they would not return.
The plans come after Aldinga residents reacted angrily to the shooting of corellas on private land in February.