Thread: Bird Predator Control

Swamp comp prizes are drawn and on the H&F website for any one who put tails in good luck

No bird food for this one either.
KH

Sometimes you just get lucky...

Last winter i had quite a few caught stoats eaten in the traps [mainly 150s and a couple of 200s] and of course it is the back half that is eaten including the tail, ggrrr.

Today i was clearing a trap that had caught a stoat a few days ago and there lying beside the trap was a complete stoat tail. I thought you silly old bugger, you cut the tail off last weeks stoat and forgot to bag it... imagine my surprise when i opened the trap lid there is a stoat head and shoulders only.. what ever had eaten the trapped stoat had chewed off the tail and left it !!!

Nice work on the stoats Guys
I have given up trying to get cats to put their head in a Timms or Possum Master – I have reverted to cages – got three cats that were decimating our Quail flocks in a couple of garden areas - shiny new steel or rusty old steel – they still work well – still catching a few rats, amazing how they like to scramble up the same old ponga trunk – just 16 on the spreadsheet so far this year
@BillyXmas546 has been telling me for some time to use a de-hooking gripper when handling rotten animals from traps – I had thought that a good quality pair of gloves would keep me safe
I recently got a serious skin infection on my inner thigh – likely from gloves rubbing on my trousers – always washed my gloves but did not always wash my trousers - it required a some serious antibiotic treatment – both internal and external
So I have bought a set of Burnsco hook grippers – and it does feel a lot safer – I will also start using disinfectant on my hands when I use my phone
Pic of a possum I found in a trap yesterday – a week in a trap is a long time at this time of the year – YUK – I removed the colour so it didn’t put you off your breakfast
Stay safe Guys - H&S 101

Nice work on the cats. I figure any cat that doesn't have a collar is feral��

I remember when this report came out:
https://www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz...-grey-warbler/

Every week we have pieces of bread turning up in our property. One of our immediate neighbours is putting it out.
The Riroriro - along with the Shining Cuckoo - are favourites here. Considering a 50% reduction in terms of the effect of conventional predators, does anyone here then keep the introduced bird population in check, or at least do nothing to encourage them?

That sort of thing would not be popular though:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-...EZGPOQGRQZOHA/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/...nd-distressing
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/690...ed-in-auckland

I suspect that in time Predator Free 2050 will need to extend to include a reduction in introduced birds - beyond the Mynas, Magpies etc.
I wonder how accepting the suburban environmental warriors will be of that ?

Well Puffin
Only light shines in darkness.
I know there's agenda benders happening! What was once right is now spoken against.
Still some just keep doing what's right in the first place. Remember Puffin! the first banana out of the box is the one they skin.

KH

Well Puffin, I timed out on the edit, so repost.
In part answer to the first study, I wouldn't base or read to much into it or place to much faith in the findings.
Also you wouldn't even apply one set of findings, If true to the all.
But of course they will try and sometimes it does happen! because the blind are leading blind.
Very hard to tell a man who has natural sight he's..... I'll move to were the tin foil hats won't matter.
For example, we had a move 3 years ago and there was no bird life to speak of.
There was a large rat population, which I started into at least 3 weeks before the shift.
My wife at the same time put out a feeder nothing happened for weeks.
Even after we had moved in, then one day sparrows turned up then black birds and thrushes and that went on for a few days or a week, I can't remember the exact time, then the first Tui, a few days later a Bellbird and then the pigeons.
We now also have a large number of sparrows at hen feeding time, this hasn't upset the native birds at all.
They have remained and come and go. Mean while the rats have never got a foot hold again.
This is my findings and is true.

Only light shines in darkness.
I know there's agenda benders happening! What was once right is now spoken against.
Still some just keep doing what's right in the first place. Remember Puffin! the first banana out of the box is the one they skin.

KH

This little guy has an attitude. This a new style of trap I'm experimenting with, there is no floor on the trap it sits on the ground -the ground is level with the treadle on the Doc 200 or Doc 250. I'm going to make all my traps this way its a more natural presentation and if something is rotting away in there I don't have to clean it out - just shift the trap

Please click on the link to view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NFP...ew?usp=sharing

Originally Posted by BillyXmas546

This little guy has an attitude. This a new style of trap I'm experimenting with, there is no floor on the trap it sits on the ground -the ground is level with the treadle on the Doc 200 or Doc 250. I'm going to make all my traps this way its a more natural presentation and if something is rotting away in there I don't have to clean it out - just shift the trap

Please click on the link to view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NFP...ew?usp=sharing

Hey billy, any chance you could wack up a few more pictures of that trap box. It looks to make a lot of sense, keen to see how its put together.

Cheers

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Will do Kukuwai

I can't lay claim to this one, but the catching method was passed on with results.
KH

Kukuwai sorry to take so long, I had to go down to the bush to take the pics.
This shows the trap from above with the bait holder on your right.


The trap on its side sitting on the bait holder, the trap part will be buried to make the treadle level with the ground [all fittings Stainless Steel]


This shows the hole it sits in


OK the bait holder, pic 1 shows the cover sitting in its slots plastic mesh stops flies and wasps but lets out the smell.
Pic 2 the cover and bait holder.
Pic 3 the slots, the bait holder can't slide through and hit the treadle as it's stopped by hitting the outside of the hole. See pic 4.



I made the trap 600mm long to get 2 out of 1200mm but I am going to make it 800mm and get 3 out of 2400mm, I think a longer tunnel catches more critters

Bill, I appreciate the time, explanation and the photos. Thank you.

Question, bait is raw untreated rabbit ? If it is that how long does you bait last even with flies wasps not able to get to it ?

Excellant stuff thanks heaps billy

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