Heart breaking!
That’s typical of cockatoos. Turn up, have a good time, party till everything is broken and leave you with the damage and mess to clean up.
We regularly have flocks of the Yellow tail black cockatoos on our place. They seem to have no interest in our solar PV, or the 9 neighbours systems. They treat the local pines and gums as kids in a lolly shop. They are at their most destructive breaking off branches and ripping into the trunks after their favourite grubs. Dining with the Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo.
We may just be lucky in not having them take out any of the poly irrigation pipes.
Yes, we have yellow-tailed blacks which love picking bark off trees, and the usual white cockatoos which seem to love destroying things for the fun of it! Luckily the other birds hate the white cockies and chase them off - I almost feel sorry for them!
I think our proposed solar PV panels will be safe from cockatoos
lt was good to hear that you accept the fire risk seeing that your trees are so close to the house. Fires can jump way further than possums. I just hope your acceptance of the risk also includes not expecting a fire brigade to try to save it. That would be extremely irresponsible and hypocritical.
Nillumbik (where @Guitarfish and I live) is a sought after leafy shire in a ‘green wedge’ of Melbourne. Our council makes it very difficult to remove trees, a matter that has long been a point of contention among some locals. OTOH virtually every house and most business premises have [an abundance of] trees and that is one of many reasons we live here. My local possum lives in a tree in an adjoining property and could and does run over our house all the time. The tree can also blow very close on a windy September day. Then there are my trees…
Do you think all 63,000 of us in somewhat similar tree lined residential situations must be irresponsible? We also have fire brigades, SES units, and most of us have insurance. Hypocritical? Or working within the system in an area prized for what it is.
@extinct - thanks for your recent input, all of which I am already aware. I am neither irresponsible nor hypocritical, and take my advice from our local CFA brigade who have full knowledge of the area and risks.
Hi Guitarfish. I have the solar guys at my house right this minute, here to fix a fault in my system. He just came down from the roof to show me the cause - a possum has been nesting under the panels and had eaten the wiring. He even had footage of the possum running away as he cleared out the nest! So not a hoax, definitely a possibility.
Not what any of us Solar PV owners would want to happen. Loss of solar and a repair cost. You may find some useful suggestions by reading through this topic from the beginning. Meshing is one option. @Guitarfish possum home is another if one is enamoured by their presence.
It’s not a matter of being ‘enamoured’ of the possum’s presence, but facing reality. They are hard to get rid of. When the current possum dies or is relocated, another quickly takes its place.
If you provide a well-designed possum nesting box close to or on its usual route to and from wherever it has been nesting, then block off the previous nesting-place, such as under the solar panels, the possum will very likely accept the more easily accessible space.
This worked to dissuade our local possum from nesting in a chimney.
There after one may find success at offering an alternate home will vary. We have lived the urban experience of possums in the roof, eating the new buds on the camellias and general night time antics. They like their leafy greens and flowers. Keeping them out of urban roofs was a concern long before Solar PV. I don’t recall chewing on electrical cable a concern. That was considered a typical rat behaviour.
Another reality is household attitudes towards native wildlife vary. Some are happy to have them around, some are selective about what should be around, and only some will provide encouragement and support. It would be wonderful if every household desired a nearby resident family of native possums. Assuming the neighbourhood provides a suitable environment.
Thank you! I did wonder which type, since brushtails like confined spaces to nest in, such as roof spaces (and solar panels!), while ringtails build leafy twiggy dreys (nests) in trees and don’t tend to nest in roof spaces. We provided an artificial drey for our ringtails 4 years ago, and have enjoyed watching them raise young ever since. When the almost-adults get kicked out and need to find a new home, they hang around looking for a suitable location for a while. This is why I was worried about them choosing under the solar panels on the roof they gallop across every night. However they haven’t, and I guess being ringtails, they don’t want to use the confined space. As isopedia says, offering your brushie a nesting box will benefit you and it, and help keep them out of your panels/roof. You can find information online about size/shape of nesting boxes as well as good locations out of the weather, increasing the chances of them preferring it over your roof!!
I’ve also read suggestions to put a motion-activated light on the roof, which sounds low-tech and inexpensive, but haven’t read much as to effectiveness.
Our possum isn’t deterred by a motion-activated light - we tried one in the hope of keeping it away from the chilli plants, with no noticeable effect. It doesn’t know that chilli plants are supposed to deter possums, either. It makes a beeline for the chilli plants and eats the leaves!
We’ve had several who have quite happily found a camping spot under the verandah roof. Just out of harms way with us walking past, turning lights on or off etc. Although wary of dogs they usually find a way to stay out of reach. One way to keep them out of the vege garden etc, but unlikely to deliver neighbourly bliss.
We have motion-activated lights around the roof/eaves for security and general lighting purposes. Possums (both brushtail and ringtail) and foxes are not at all bothered by them!
Ah well, mesh it will have to be. I’ve had 3 quotes, $2,000 plus gst, $1,080 (with a warning saying ’only use us! Don’t trust the others!’), and $300 - the latter being from a guy I’ve used before, who does an excellent job and knows his stuff.
