In the last fifteen years, the population of brush turkeys or sometimes called a bush turkey has steadily increased in the Upper and Lower North Shore of  Sydney. Every year Micropest is getting more and more calls for the relocation and removal of persistent Bush turkey, who are removing all the garden mulch and bark from people’s gardens.

My name is Gerard from Micropest, and I have been in the pest control industry for over thirty – five years now, and I guess you could say I’m a pest control specialist. Micropest is based in Wahroonga, which is the Upper North Shore of Sydney, so we are located in the middle of the brush turkey (bush turkey) invasion.

Personally, I think they are an amazing bird, but unfortunately, they do not belong in suburbia. They remove all the mulch from gardens, defecate everywhere and even attack and injure cats and dogs. I  have even had one customer ring me up and tell me the bush turkeys have their way with their chickens.

A Video About Bush Turkey Relocation.

The following are some of the emails I’ve had concerning bush turkeys.

I have a big problem with a bush turkey destroying creek banks and native plantings. What do you charge to take him away – far away! I am at Lindfield, on the North Shore of Sydney.

My in-laws live in Turramurra and have a bad bush turkey problem.  They have been trying to discourage them from building nests in their beautiful bush gardens for about three years now, and they have spent a fortune fixing up the damage the turkeys have caused. Is there a way of relocating them legally and how much would that cost?

A bush turkey has been causing enormous damage to some gardens in our street in Killarney Heights. We have tried a range of methods to stop the turkey – without success. I am writing to find out how much your company charges to trap and relocate a male bird. I want to go then to my neighbours to see if they are interested in splitting the cost to have the bird removed.

I would love to know whether it\’s possible to remove a bush turkey that regularly (morning and evening) attacks our chickens. Comments: I need help.  I have about 50 bush turkeys, and they have now built a huge mound and building another one, but they are causing me a lot of erosion.  I live on a sloping block with boulders that I am worried about them dislodging.  As I am a widow I am very concerned, what do you suggest I do??? Regards,

This is a query on behalf of the Lane Cove North Estate.  We currently have a problem with brush turkeys with what started as an ecological novelty turning into a potentially expensive landscaping problem. Last year we had one male plus three hens who, between them, produced five chicks which are already at the size where they will want to build their nests this year. We are across the river from Lane Cove national park and need your advice and quotation for their relocation.

hi

We have a problem with a bush/brush turkey (I think it is the same one each time) stealing our chicken’s food and terrorizing the poor feathered ladies.  There have been turkeys down the other end of our street (in Killara) for years, but for some reason, this is the first time we have had a visit from one.  What is the cost for you to trap and relocate it?  And how far away do you take it?  is there a risk it would find its way back?  Thanks, Kate

Hi there,

Our unit block has a bush turkey problem.

We have one male who is trying to build a mound in our car park area – not the safest place for him!

We had a 4M x 2M mound in front of someone’s car.

We have removed one mound and tried to deter him by covering up areas he has been digging; however, he keeps coming back and starting again.

We have a couple of large garden areas which will be impossible to keep him out of.

Would you be able to provide a quote to capture and relocate him somewhere safe in the bush where he can build his mound happily without being run over?

Kind Regards,

Katt

As you can ascertain, everyone tries s to get rid of bush turkeys to no avail and at a huge expense. Micropest experimented with some ways to get rid of bush turkeys, but unfortunately, if we used physical measures, we would only move the problem somewhere else nearby. When bush turkeys first started to present themselves as a pest, we would stick chicken mesh over their nests and the surrounding gardens. The brush turkey would pull up the chicken mesh or start another nest close by. Building fences around your garden can be effective but very expensive and ugly. The most effective way of rectifying a brush turkey problem is trapping them and relocating them in a suitable environment far away from suburbia. Micropest is located close to the M1 motorway so a quick drive down the highway we can relocate your pesky bush turkey in suitable bush-land.

The male bush turkey is the bird we want to catch because this is the one that makes the nests. They make these big beautiful mounds of compost hopefully to attract a female. So we place a bush turkey trap close to the nest. A mirror is placed in the trap. What happens, the bush turkey walks by the trap and sees’s its reflection in the mirror, and charges at the mirror thinking it’s a trespassing brush turkey. When he walks on the pressure plate, it closes the door behind him.

The bush turkey at this point will make a lot of noise thrashing around in the cage, so it is important to throw a blanket over the cage to quiet him down.

The next step is to ring Micropest we will pick it up in the afternoon and relocated it down the M1 somewhere in brush turkey paradise where it belongs. Gerard Dallow wrote this article.