Our WILVOS 54441 6200 Hotline usually starts slowing down at this time of year. It doesn’t seem to be the case this year.
There has been a constant call for orphaned baby birds over past months. Often they are fledglings that are best left with their parents, as we don’t want to ‘kidnap’ them. Sometimes a dangerous situation means these chicks have to be taken into care, but in most cases the chicks are best left alone to sharpen their flying skill.. There are other cases where we can take the young birds into care for a week and once they can fly enough to stay out of trouble, we return them to their very happy parents.
The fig bird ‘baby season’ has begun and many of these are taken to wildlife hospitals and wildlife centres. The adults do a wonderful job of rearing their young, along with young that may not even be theirs. It always seems like their whole neighbourhood welcomes them home.
There are so many native fruiting trees at the moment and figbirds thrive on these fruits. Wildlife carers always have a variety of native plants growing in their yard – from seeding grasses through to fruiting and flowering shrubs. Fortunately native plants thrive with regular pruning!
As the holiday season approaches, it is a good time to remind everyone to dispose of plastic bags responsibly as it is a time when plastic bait packets and such are blown into the waterways where they can be lethal to platypus in the creeks and to turtles in the ocean. Fishing line needs to be cut into small pieces when disposed of, to prevent entanglement by our wildlife.
Don’t forget to buy wildlife friendly Christmas presents – nest boxes for birds and possums, and make up dreys out of hanging baskets for ringtail possums. Hollow logs on the ground give our little reptiles a safe haven. Your local native animals will be very grateful.
Drive carefully, stay safe and healthy, and have a wonderful Christmas, New Year and holiday time with family and friends.
Donna Brennan Wildlife Volunteers Assoc Inc (WILVOS) PO Box 4805 Sunshine Coast Mail Centre Q 4560 PH 5441 6200 www.wilvos.org.au