Their screeching calls have become part of the soundscape of the Taree CBD.
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Corellas have become a familiar sight in town, particularly at Fotheringham Park, where a flock has descended and made the park its home over the last few months.
Invasions of corellas in towns throughout Australia over the years have been by the hundreds and, in some cases in South Australia, the tens of thousands.
The birds are noisy, and can be damaging – they chew wires and antennas, and rip up tree bark, decking and tennis courts. And when they converge on towns in huge numbers are considered as having a ‘nuisance impact’, driving locals crazy and causing complaints to councils.
However, in Taree the corellas are not in such huge numbers that they are causing concern, and most locals appear to be happy to have the native birds making the CBD their home.
Comments on the Manning River Times’ Facebook page about the birds were, in the majority, positive, with people recognising that destruction of nesting and feeding habitat are the cause of more and more flocks being found in urban areas.
Ann Morgan wrote, “Please let them be, they are there because they have lost the habitat that they normally feed on. This has been a catastrophic year for wildlife in general. We need to protect them and feel pleasure in the interaction they have with us.”
Tracey Barnett said, “We love watching them every morning when we are out walking our dog. Leave them alone as they are not hurting anybody.”
Hayley Spiteri commented, “We saw them hanging off the Australian flag at the clock park whilst having lunch! Like hanging off it with their beaks and claws! They were being so naughty!”
Like galahs, corellas are larrikins that like a spot of play and can often be seen amusing themselves, and passers by, by hanging upside down on anything they can use as perches, using roofs as slippery slides and going for a ride on windmill blades.
MidCoast Council has received no complaints about the birds.