Nest box's and Cockatubes going up more help needed to get more up!

Nest Box Program, we have made the 45 nest box's and installed 2 out of 5 Cockatubes 

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With almost no hollow nest sites in the burnt out landscape here at Rocklily we have built and are installing around 40 nest box’s to replace all the burnt tree hollows, most large old trees were completely destroyed in the bushfires. These are for the remaining and returning birds and various mammals and as well planting appropriate trees and shrubs.  

We have had 3 working bee's with a few  friends from Canberra, and 2 Sales Force small groups helping make the 40 nest box's really helped towards getting them made and they learnt new skills ! . We pre cut them so it was assembly and first coat of paint. more paint then fittings to attach to trees wand required mulch made. Each box costs close to $60 just in materials and with around 3 -4 hours work on each its taken alot of time, then we have to hang them!.   We do not regret an of this as we know after all dianna's  many days of research we have made box's to last at least 21 years and their designs that do get used and positioned and painted just right. Its the best we can do 

The small group of 12 Endangered Glossy Cockatoos we have had nesting here for many years have lost their group of old nesting trees.  They will not nest in built nest box's and we have found a landcare group in WA whom has designed and having success with these cockatubes. Talk to us for more details. We purchased 5 x Glossy, red tail, and yellowtail ,Cockatube tubes at $460 ea plus freight totalling  $2,900. We have had 3 Glossy left looking for nests last january and have now provided for them.  These tubes are 1.2 m long and weigh 15kg there a double layer with chew stick climbing ladder and we have put nesting materials inside. 

Cockatubes are being installed at 10 metres up some trees very close to those they nested in.  We have painted ours to match the trees, which also reduces the ambient  temperature in them in summer. Black or dark tube by 18 degrees in summer. They are placed facing SE and we have small hats to help prevent snow building up in them. 

There is a large group of casuarina trees amazingly unburnt about 4 km away and more within 8 km, so plenty of food still. 

The Glossy Black-Cockatoo is the smallest black-cockatoo in Australia. They are entirely black, but if you look skyward and glimpse a streak of red on a jet black tail, you’ve probably just found one.

Glossy Black-Cockatoos are about 46-50 cm long. Males have brownish heads and chests, with red tail feathers. Females have yellow patches on their heads and necks, with orange-red barred tail panels. Both have small crests with a broad and bulbous bill for cracking open tasty cones. They are often confused with their close relative, the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo who are also glossy and black with red tails.

Were just a couple of ordinary folk who are trying to do the right thing. We fund all our wildlife work from our online shop and get no government or other funding.  We are not a charity