2013 Indian Myna Conference

YOU’RE INVITED TO THE INDIAN MYNA CONFERENCE

Titled - "Towards Best Practice Indian Myna Control" This conference is being held in Canberra June 19th at the CSIRO Discovery Centre.  So plan a wintery trip and include this one full day conference on your way to the snow fields, or Turner’s exhibition at the Canberra Art Gallery, or even better—the Britain & Irish Lions vs. ACT Brumbies Rugby Union game in Canberra, or whatever takes your fancy.  But make sure you pre-book accommodation as Canberra is pretty busy then.  Please come along and join us in our afternoon discussion and exchange ideas and observations and listen to the Drs, PhDs and other experts in the morning.  If you’re interested, please click on this link for the program or registration form or contact Kevin 6649 4712 for details.  We are looking forward to getting together with many other IM groups.
 

 

3/5/13 - Cold, cold toading nights!

When Rob suggested after Wednesday night's meeting that we go toading Friday night I screwed my nose up and said "won't it be a bit cold?" but after some cajoling I agreed so the 6 usual suspects (minus Kath, Mark and Annie) headed to Yamba to see if we could find any toads out.

Well blow me down if we didn't get 214 toads and scooped 50 tadpoles out! Goes to show you can still head out with your beanies and mittens and make a difference. :)

Beth and Ant, who is so cold he has wrapped a toad sack (clean!) around his shoulders!

Myna tally passes 4000

After a slow February when lots of rain and subsequent floods prevented most trapping, our tally of Indian Mynas trapped has passed 4000. Great work everyone, please keep us updated with your monthly trapping numbers.
However there are still plenty around as the recently taken photos show, so we still need to keep trapping and monitoring.

Junction Hill more than 75 Mynas (thanks Bevan for photo)

Palmers Island 65+ (Kevin snapped this one)

Lismore's Big Trap

Lismore City Council and the Men's Shed have built a large trap intended for areas with major Indian Myna populations. The photo show its size against a normal Pee Gee trap, we will keep you posted on their results.

Toadbusting Backtoad

Well, I'm a little behind in updating the blog for cane toad busting! Sorry everyone. Since my last post we have been out 3 times!

15th Feb - we went to Yamba and bagged 151 cane toads from the usual haunts. On 1st March we went to the Yamba Golf course (9 vols -great turnout!) and in between the rain and the harassment bagged 654 cane toads (there were tadpoles in the dam nearest the golf club).

Then on 15th March, 6 vols (not me - I was out sick!) spent the night out at Brooms Head with the amazing Russell Jago and bagged 270 cane toads.

Rob recording toads caught with Russell Jago

So we are pottering along with the same few volunteers but happy to chug along. See you out in the swamp! Cheers, Sharon.

11/1/13 - Mororo Cane Toad Busting

On Friday night 15 volunteers went out at Mororo in the heat to pick up 140 cane toads. It was probably the quietest I have seen it at Mororo - is it the dry? It is certainly hot enough for them and we needed to be quick. Some of the local ...dams are still creating perfect breeding habitat for them but it was good and do some good old fashioned "round the edge of dams male toad snatching" work. 

Bevan was awarded a CIA toad shirt (for his dedication to invasive animal control - top toad buster and just reached over 1000 common mynas caught), Rob, new cane toad coordinator also was awarded a shirt. I am planning at CIA facebook competition shortly which will involve winning the few shirts I have left (cleaning up my house and simplifying life!).

Ant spent his day in front of a truck at Glenugie then the night picking up toads so no wonder he needed a litlte nanna nap at the end! Thank you to all the people who came out. Greta to see lower numbers of toads. Hopefully this dry season will give a chance to get round them a bit more and slow the advance. Cheers, Sharon.

 

Bevan’s got a thousand mynas

Bevan Pugh is undeniably Clarence Valley’s number one Indian Myna trapper.

He started trapping in late 2007 after seeing a group of Indian Mynas kick a pair of Rosellas out of their nest at the Grafton Ag.  Station. Bevan has now removed 1000 of these feral pests from around his home in South Grafton (over 500 in the last 2 years). Also he trapped and euthanased a couple of foxes that were preying on the trapped birds. 

He’s a very active CIA committee member, is happy to share his trapping experiences and is a regular catcher at CIA Cane Toading evenings.

Congratulations Bevan, thanks for your much appreciated dedication.