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Raptors are keeping the city free of pests: Campaign to help us spot them

Raptors are keeping the city free of pests – and a campaign has been launched to help us understand what they are and what these magnificent birds do

Using Birds of Prey to Take Down Drones

IF you lift your gaze to the city skyline, or peer into the tree canopy at Leigh Stt, you might spot one of Adelaide’s majestic raptors, or their prey.

These birds are the subject a new education campaign in the CBD, to raise awareness about the predators in our midst – and one smaller native bird called the tree martin.

Green Adelaide operations manager Dr Stuart Collard said the presence of top predators was a sign of a healthy ecosystem. And they also perform a helpful pest control function.

“Our city centre is home to many types of birds of prey – you just need to know where to find them, be patient and keep looking up, as some of them even nest in high rise buildings,” he said.

“We hope this awareness campaign will help people connect with our birds of prey, learn about the important role they play in our urban environment and encourage new ways to improve and protect their urban habitat.”

The awareness campaign includes bright, comic styled educational posters and bird-shaped cut-outs of four birds of prey including the peregrine falcon, Australian hobby, brown goshawk, and the Australian kestrel, as well as the tree martin, scattered throughout the city.

Green Adelaide has launched an urban raptors eduction campaign to raise awareness of Adelaide’s majestic birds of prey – this is an Australian hobby. Picture: Craig Greer
Green Adelaide has launched an urban raptors eduction campaign to raise awareness of Adelaide’s majestic birds of prey – this is an Australian hobby. Picture: Craig Greer
Brown goshawk. Picture: Craig Greer
Brown goshawk. Picture: Craig Greer

Dr Collard said that the campaign poses fun questions about the birds with QR codes to help people find the answers.

“By scanning the QR code you’ll find out all you need to know about these birds, where they live, what they eat, how to identify them and what makes them unique and important for our city’s environment,” Dr Collard said.

“We have the fastest bird on the planet living in Adelaide, a bird that can see things invisible to the human eye and a bird that flocks in the thousands to Leigh Street every year.

“The fact that we can witness these amazing birds adapting and thriving in the city is one of the reasons why Adelaide has been named the world’s second National Park City – after London.”

The awareness campaign’s posters and cut-outs can be found in Leigh Street, Peel Street, Adelaide Botanic Gardens, Botanic Park and War Memorial Drive until 30 April.

To learn more about the project visit https://www.greenadelaide.sa.gov.au/projects/rewilding-birds-of-prey/awareness-campaign

Leigh St tee martin. Picture: Craig Greer,
Leigh St tee martin. Picture: Craig Greer,
Australian kestrel. Picure: Craig Greer
Australian kestrel. Picure: Craig Greer

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Original URL: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/raptors-are-keeping-the-city-free-of-pests-campaign-to-help-us-spot-them/news-story/0470a2b274dfde12f2882c067863c7bf