South Australian orchardists are experiencing substantial crop loss as drought conditions drive birds into orchards. Apple, cherry, and fig producers report extensive damage due to increased bird activity. Willa Wauchope, a fig grower from Adelaide Hills, noted his trees became a "smorgasbord" for lorikeets. He observed, "We have a loquat tree that is a really strong indicator of what bird pressure is going to be like." The loquat tree was decimated early in the season, prompting concerns about ongoing bird pressure. As other fruits are harvested, remaining crops face intensified threats.
Mark Filsell, another grower, described his orchards as inundated with lorikeets and bats during an early summer harvest, reporting, "They were literally taking half the crop within two or three days." Gavin Plummer, an apple and cherry grower, stated that birds devastated any unprotected crops, especially early varieties. "I did miss [netting] one row of galas — they probably took at least 90 per cent of the apples of that row," he said.
Despite the challenges, growers noted that this year's apple yield was "exceptional." Fruit Producers SA's Grant Piggott highlighted the impact, attributing it to a scarcity of alternative food sources for birds. "It's potentially in the thousands of tons across the Adelaide Hills zone," he mentioned.
Sean Dooley from Birdlife Australia linked the bird activity to drought and rising lorikeet numbers in the area. He suggested that growers might need to consider increased netting, stating, "It may be that growers now have to start factoring six months out from when the apples are on the tree whether they will need to use more netting than usual."
Source: ABC News