Farmers are being reminded to keep an eye out for birds who like to nest in tractors.
Rural insurer FMG has launched its Stop and Pop campaign - reminding farmers to pop the hood of their tractors and check for nests, before driving their tractors.
FMG general manager of advice and insurance Conrad Wilkshire says starlings are often the culprit at this time of year, looking to build nests in warm and cosy engine spaces.
He says FMG gets around 40 - 60 bird related claims annually.
But Mr Wilkshire says it's worse during the spring period and in October 2010, for example, there were more than 28 claims of this type - although last spring there were only 18 claims.
He says it can cause more than $100,000 worth of damage to an individual tractor, so even saving one claim is well worth it.
