Fledgling kookaburra flight is on repeat

Last year we were delighted to report that temporary fencing installed by Council staff in a Newport Reserve led to three kookaburra chicks hatching successfully.

Due to the location of their hollow, the two mating birds had previously lost some of their eggs to predators.

To give them additional protection a custom-built hardwood nesting box was also installed nearby.

The increased privacy for the two love birds has resulted in another successful batch of three chicks taking flight this breeding season.

Other nesting boxes have also been set up in the reserve to accommodate additional housing for parrots and ringtail possums.

Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea and are still classified as a common bird species, however Birdlife Australia recently revealed that their numbers are in decline.

Here are a couple of tips that we can all do to help kookaburras and other precious wildlife stay safe.

Provide water in a shady spot, on the ground in a low shallow dish or a small pond. It could be lifesaving for our wildlife on hot days.Keep your pets indoors at night and out of bushland to ensure nocturnal birds and animals stay safe.Consider building a nest box or possum drey in your backyard.Don’t use rat poisons and slug baits that can accumulate in the food chain and inadvertently kill native wildlife.

For more information about kookaburras.