This year, Brisbane recorded its warmest and one of its wettest Autumns on record, effectively extending summer by 3 months. The unseasonably warm weather did more than just make picnics at South Bank more comfortable, it had an unexpected flow-on effect to the state’s native wildlife – particularly scrub turkeys.
Oh NO, Its scrub turkey season
Oh NO, Its scrub turkey seasonScrub turkeys traditionally breed during the year’s warmer months, mainly from August to January. Turkeys prefer warm and wet weather to breed in as it helps their nests warm up to incubate the eggs. Scrub turkey mounds must be kept at 33 degrees in order for the eggs to hatch, so the warmer weather assists in maintaining the temperature.
But the change in weather has meant that this year’s breeding season doubled in length and is only just ending. The problem is that a new breeding season is about to begin, which means that Brisbane is now experiencing a year round scrub turkey nesting season!
During breeding season male scrub turkeys build mounds out of vegetation and leaf litter in order to attract females. These mounds function as a nest to incubate the eggs, attended by the male scrub turkeys that constantly adds to and adjusts the nest to maintain it at perfect temperature.
Scrub turkeys believe that the bigger the mound the better, often pillaging the surrounding gardens and parks for building materials. These mounds can reach sizes of between 2 to 4 meters wide and up to a meter high.
Before you race off and remove the mound, you need to be aware that scrub turkeys are a protected species and the bird can’t be relocated without a permit. Nests can only be moved at the beginning of the mounding process and cannot be touched after the first egg has been laid.
As soon as you spot a scrub turkey starting a mound in your yard, give us a call and we will legally relocate him before too much damage is done to your plants and garden.
