THE early numbers are in for council’s pigeon trapping program.
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In the first four weeks of the program, 433 of the birds have been caught in Bathurst’s central business district and euthanased.
Isaac Canham, of Canham Pest Management, who is co-ordinating the trapping, is pleased with the results.
Twelve businesses in the CBD, including council, have signed up for the program and another four will be coming on board this week as four more weeks of trapping gets underway.
The area being targeted includes Howick Street, William Street, Keppel Steet and Bentinck Street.
Mr Canham said this is referred to as blanket trapping, where the whole population is hit at one time.
“We’ve trapped 433 pigeons, but when you get up on a rooftop and look around it can seem like you’ve hardly made a dent in them,” he said.
Mr Canham said this is because it takes a while for a flock to become comfortable feeding in different areas to where they would normally.
Mr Canham said most businesses are happy with the results, however, numbers trapped are not as high in some areas as others.
“But that’s up to the pigeons,” he said.
“By the time I finish the next four week block I am expecting to drive downtown and see a real difference in the population.”
Mr Canham said the traps are cleared every morning and the birds inside are humanely euthanased with carbon dioxide.
Their bodies are then taken to a wildlife sanctuary where they are fed to quolls.
Bathurst Regional Council general manager David Sherley said in monitoring the program staff have noticed changes in the behaviour of the birds in various sites, but this is an ongoing process that will be evaluated throughout the next few months.
“Council’s pigeon control program is about halfway through the implementation and is showing some signs of success,” he said.
“Around 20 sites, including four key council buildings, are participating in the pigeon trapping program.
“There has been strong support from local businesses who are keen to see the pest bird problem addressed which is causing irreparable damage to some of the city’s most valuable heritage buildings, not to mention health concerns to people using those buildings.”
The program is part of council’s Pest Bird Management Plan which was adopted in 2012 and proposes a multifaceted approach to the pigeon problem across the CBD.
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