Corellas ‘lay into nature’ as culling continues

The screeching sound is back - damaging flocks of corellas have returned to Geraldton in strong numbers this summer, and while they have been leaving the cathedral alone, the cemetery is taking a hammering. When The Geraldton Guardian called St Francis Xavier Cathedral building manager Father Robert Cross, he said the white cockatoos were “chirping,” but so far that was all. “They’re not eating our cathedral, that is the main thing,” he said. “They have decided to lay into nature this year with the Norfolk pines.” Geraldton Cemetery Board chairman Max Correy said corellas had started to “lay into” other trees. “They have started to eat our trees now and we’ve got no coverage,” he said. “There’s work we’re not getting done in the cemetery now because we’re having to clean up the mess every morning.” City of Greater Geraldton City chief executive Ross McKim said corella management had restarted in November, and several hundred had been culled. “Activities now include engaging the local shooters’ association to shoot the birds and a specialist contractor who is feeding, trapping and shooting the birds,” he said. “City rangers continue to conduct regular patrols of the CBD to monitor any corella activity and will implement necessary activities if required. Mr McKim said it was difficult to estimate, but there were thought to be between 3000 and 5000 corellas in the region. He said white cockatoos caused thousands of dollars of damage to buildings, sporting grounds, trees and public assets. “Our Norfolk pines have also been severely damaged,” Mr McKim said. Since 2015, the City has tried non-lethal methods, such as crackers and percussion cartridges, to scare the birds and move them on. “This approach, while initially successful, is now not achieving the required results,” Mr McKim said.