Habitat loss is no laughing matter Kookaburras are laughing less as we lose our green spaces and urbanise our local landscapes. Diminishing habitat is reducing nesting options and food sources for many bird species. Kookaburra numbers particularly are declining in our major cities. However, Peninsula school children have embarked on a conservation effort to boost the number of kookaburras that “sit in the old gum tree” so this iconic bird can again be crowned our “merry, merry king of the bush”. Kookaburras seek cavity nests in tree trunks or rotten branches. However, these natural tree hollows can take more than 100 years to form, making them scarce and highly sought after by competing hollow-nesting species as a safe space to shelter and breed. Providing artificial timber nesting boxes can compensate for the loss of natural habitat and significantly improve the conservation of Australia’s hollow-nesting animals.
Nine kookaburra nesting boxes were constructed in an important collaborative intergenerational environmental project last month. The Main Ridge Men’s Shed and Mornington Peninsula Intrepid Landcare helped run an artificial tree-hollow construction workshop with young students during the school holidays using donations from Bunnings and Mitre 10. Students from St. Anne’s, Frankston, Derinya, Pearcedale, Frankston Heights and Kingsley Park primary schools gathered at Joy of the Earth community garden in Frankston to paint their artistic representations of kookaburras on the sides of the boxes under the guidance of outdoor teacher Narelle Debenham, from Natured Kids. Each group took the nesting box they had decorated back to their school to hang high up in a tree in their playground. It is delightful to have a family of laughing kookaburras in your neighbourhood, as they reduce the risk of snakes and eat lots of pesky rodents as well as insects that can cause structural damage to trees. The students cannot wait to hear the regular melodious and cheerful chorusing of cheeky territorial laughter ringing louder than their school bell in the yard. There are several ways you can help encourage kookaburras to populate your neighbourhood: • Retain a patch of leaf litter to encourage lizards in your garden • Don't use pesticides in your garden; birds can be poisoned if they eat contaminated insects • Provide a water bowl for wildlife • Teach your pet dog to not chase birds and put a bell on your cat when it’s not under curfew between dusk and dawn • Grow a large tree in your garden and provide a custom-built nesting box • Restrict urban sprawl by engaging in centralised urban planning to promote smart growth and reduce our environmental footprint. Families and their children aged up to six are invited to register with Natured Kids at www. natureplayeveryday.com.au/playgroup for future regular adventures. NARELLE DEBENHAM
( 46 Everything we love about the peninsula, fresh every month
mornington PENINSULA Magazine
