When we first bought our property in the Noosa Hinterland, Queensland our property came with 7 magnificent Pecan Trees. The Pecan Trees came with their own mob of cockatoos who’d arrive every year to eat every single nut off the trees before they were ripe. When we started our food forest that mob of cockatoos decided our vegetables where tastier than pecans.

Sigh, what where we to do? They especially liked our dragonfruit to our despair. Even though we love our native wildlife, we love our vegetables too. We are happy to share but the cockatoos are greedy fellows and decimated our garden. With lots of thought, contemplation and observing we had a plan to interact!

After rummaging in our shed we found a large mirror which was out of our renovated bathroom. We lent the mirror against our fence at a 45 degree angle in the middle of our food forest. The mirror uses sunlight as a distraction zone that confuses birds causing them to flee the area. The cockatoos thought that their reflection in the mirror was another mob of cockatoos already ready in our food forest and chose to move on.

Eureka, it worked! We haven’t had a cockatoo in our food forest since and we get to enjoy our pecans every season.

– By Eve Ballard