Did you know that Australia has some 828 different species of native birds? Many of these birds might seem incredibly exotic to foreigners and yet you're probably used to looking out the window to see rainbow lorikeets and sulphur-crested cockatoos frolicking in your backyard trees. Cockatoos can be a fascinating and lively (and of course, sometimes loud) visitor to your backyard, and yet whether they opt to actually make a home on your property will depend on the types and size of suitable trees that are available. If you should need tree removal, you have to take steps to ensure that your backyard is still alluring to these beautiful birds. So how can you remove and/or prune your existing trees and keep your backyard as a must visit destination for cockatoos?
Checking for Cockatoos
Are there cockatoos actually nesting in your backyard? You might have seen them going in and out of a suitably-sized hollow on the tree earmarked for removal. In the northern parts of Australia, the cockatoo nesting season is generally from May until September. In the southern regions, it's more likely to occur from August until January. If you suspect that a cockatoo is nesting in your backyard, you can generally confirm this with a site inspection. Place a ladder a suitable distance from the tree (so as not to disturb the birds) and climb it so that you're eye level (or as close as safely possible) to the suspected nesting area. Can you actually see evidence of nesting? While a confirmed or suspected nest doesn't mean that you cannot prune or remove the tree, you might wish to delay the work until the fledglings have left the nest and the family has moved on.
Cockatoo Friendly Lopping and Removals
Still, even if you delay the work, removal of the tree (and the hollow contained therein) can mean that the cockatoos will not be gracing your backyard when the next breeding season rolls around. There are a couple of things you can do.
With a small amount of planning you can make sure that your backyard will be appealing to those vibrant, beautiful (and wonderfully loud) birds for years to come.
Share4 January 2018
Seeing a tree die can be sad, especially if it's the only shade tree in your yard, a tree you grew up climbing or a once bountiful fruit tree. However, surprisingly, many trees that people seem to give up on can actually be saved. I hate the idea of anyone losing a tree, so I decided to start a blog. This blog is going to have tips I have learned as a lifelong gardener as well as things I have learned while researching trees and botany in general. I hope you like these posts and that they eventually help you save a few trees!
