Bush turkeys are notoriously hard to dislodge once they find a suitable location for their nest. However there is a way that body corporate committees can deter them from scratching in particular areas of their gardens.

Scrub turkeys (or bush turkeys as they are commonly known as) can remodel entire gardens, as male birds relentlessly scratch up leaves and mulch to create their impressive nests. The birds can scratch large piles of garden deadfall across roads and driveways without leaving a single leaf behind. Even in the face of urban dangers such as dogs and angry body corporate committee members, they show amazing tenacity.

Their tenacity has been rewarded with an explosion in their numbers in South East Queensland in recent years. The bush turkey also has an extremely important role with their ability to pollinate seeds, and as such are a protected species. Even though it is possible to move their nests once the nesting season is over, this is not a guarantee that the same turkey won’t return to build another nest in the same location next season.

So how can body corporates share their gardens with the bush turkey?

One method we have found to be highly successful in stopping the turkey’s scratching behaviour in common area gardens involves putting down netting, bringing in a number of large bush rocks and planting out the area where they had their nest.

We recently completed such a project at an Ashgrove body corporate property where a turkey was creating havoc in the front garden. The turkey gave up scratching in the area in which we put the netting after a couple of weeks and once we were sure that he had moved on we brought in the rocks and plants.

Why not give this relatively cost-effective method a try if you have a particular part of the garden that you’d like to keep bush turkey free?