A plan to drive out grey-headed flying foxes in Avalon could call on world’s worst mix tape

It may be the world’s worst mix tape — a collection of sounds developed to move on grey headed flying foxes.But for the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, it was music to their ears.

Grey-headed flying-fox, Pteropus poliocephalus, or bats, in the Botanic Gardens, Sydney.

It may be the world’s worst mix tape — a collection of sounds developed to move on grey headed flying foxes.

But for Royal Botanic Garden Sydney wildlife officer Dr John Martin, it was music to his ears.

Dr Martin said plans to move on a camp of up to 35,000 flying foxes in the gardens took three years in applying for relevant consent then a further two years getting the plan in place.

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney senior gardens officer Troy Mason scaring flying foxes in 1997. Picture: Jeff Darmanin

Finally, on June 4, 2012, the team arrived at the flying foxes’ favourite trees and blared out the mix tape.

“Much to everyone’s surprise, it only took one week to stop the flying foxes roosting,” Dr Martin said.

“Although we did then implement an ongoing pre-dawn deterrent for pretty much 12 months.”

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Almost two and a half years later, Dr Martin said there was still sporadic action to make sure flying foxes that found their way to the gardens didn’t settle in.

Dr Martin described the noises as being unpleasant.

“It’s literally an assemblage of loud bangs, breaking glass, whip cracks, all sorts of odds and bods that are unpleasant to hear for people as well as flying foxes,” he said.

Dr Martin said they would gladly share the ‘mix tape’ with Pittwater Council for a trial dispersal of grey-headed flying foxes near Cannes Reserve in Avalon.