Silver Banksia of Central Victoria presentation 19 March 2018
Posted on 27 February, 2018 by Tanya Loos
Silver Banksias (Banksia marginata) once occurred in large areas across central Victoria, but are now limited to a few isolated locations. Are we at risk of losing this species from our landscape? Come along and find out.
Presentation by Dr Adam Miller (Senior Lecturer in Aquatic Ecology and Biodiversity at Deakin University).
Monday 19 March at 7.30 pm
ANA Hall, 7 High St, Harcourt
Please RSVP to Bonnie by Thursday 15 of March (email: bonnie@connectingcountry.org.au or phone: 5472 1594)
Click here for the flier, with a map showing the location of ANA Hall. Tea, coffee and a light supper will kindly be provided by the Wettenhall Environment Trust.
This talk has been made possible through funding from the National Landcare Program.
The flower of the Silver banksia – immature, and mature on the right. By JJ Harrison (jjharrison89@facebook.com) – Creative Commons
Connecting Country short film and our fellow Community Conservationists
Posted on 27 February, 2018 by Tanya Loos
Connecting Country stars in the short film ‘Safeguarding woodland birds’, now launched in the big wide world and available to view at the link below. This is one of ten films forming the Community Conservationists series made by the Remember the Wild team, and funded by the Wettenhall Environment Trust.
Marie speaks beautifully about Connecting Country and its purpose. The film is well worth watching, especially if you are new to Connecting Country and wondering what we are all about. Its focus is our work on woodland birds, but could easily have been on many aspects of our work, like our amazing nest box program for brush-tailed phascogale and sugar gliders.
Asha from our office recently attended the gala launch of the series in Melbourne, and made a presentation about Connecting Country. We are delighted to be a part of this series, and feel we’re in very good company with our fellow Community Conservationists.
To see our film and the other Community Conservationists click this link: https://vimeo.com/rememberthewildaus
Below is a series of photos from the filming. To move through the gallery of images hover your mouse over the right. To read more about the project see our blog post here.
Here is a description of the Community Conservationists initiative, from the website Remember the wild.
‘Through our Community Conservationists initiative we aim to raise the profile of the people in our community working hard to conserve our natural world. These everyday heroes are many, yet we seldom hear about them, and we believe it’s time to tell their stories loud and clear.
Community Conservationists is about celebrating the tree-planters, the wildlife carers, the citizen scientists, and anyone else who is putting in the hard yards for the good of us all. By sharing their stories we aim to better connect people with the nature and conservation issues on which they work, as well as help them to attract more support from our community. We promote our Community Conservationists stories far and wide and allow the groups to use them whenever and wherever they want, so they may inspire others.’
Have you got gorse? – Victorian Gorse Taskforce survey 2018
Posted on 22 February, 2018 by Asha
The Victorian Gorse Taskforce (VGT) has developed a survey to gain an understanding of the types of support that communities need from VGT to manage gorse in their local area. The VGT uses government investment to establish and support community-led projects, which aim to eradicate gorse where possible across Victoria. Gorse is a highly invasive weed. It can adversely impact on agriculture, waterways, amenity and native vegetation, as well as harbour pests such as, rabbits and foxes. 
In Victoria, gorse is:
- Regionally prohibited in the East Gippsland catchment.
- Regionally restricted in the Mallee catchment.
- Regionally controlled in all other Victorian catchments.
The results from this survey will help the VGT identify opportunities where they can provide better support to you or your networks. If you know or suspect gorse on your property please take five minutes to fill out the survey so the VGT can work to provide the right support.
The survey should not take any more than 5 to 10 minutes to complete, and you can go in the draw to win 1 of 3 $50 Woolworths vouchers.
The survey can be accessed via this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VGTsurvey
The survey closes 5 pm on Tuesday 13 March 2018.
Rabbit Buster Month
Posted on 21 February, 2018 by Asha
February is Rabbit Buster Month. Now is the time to strike!
John ‘Rabbit Buster’ Matthews (Biosecurity Manager, Agriculture Victoria) tells us:
‘The right time, using the right tools, to the correct standards will ensure your investment and effort into rabbit control results in long term control’.
John’s key points include:
- Collect baseline information. You need to know the scale of your problem before you try to manage it.
- Know your goal. Rabbits can seriously impede regeneration of many native species.
- Support and learn from your peers. Local knowledge is powerful. Take some time to learn from your neighbours, landcare group and even local contractors.
Success will come from a committed and coordinated community working simultaneously, using best practice techniques, with high rates of participation at a landscape scale.
CLICK HERE to download the North Central Chat February Newsletter and read a more detailed account of how to ‘Hop On Board’ with rabbit control.
CLICK HERE for more information about rabbit monitoring and control options.
Charismatic rakali (native water rat) talk on 1 March 2018
Posted on 15 February, 2018 by Tanya Loos
Australian water rats are completely aquatic rats that are more like small otters than anything ratty.
They have very little in common with the rats that are found in the chook shed or behind the pantry – in fact, many people prefer to call water rats by the name Rakali. Rakali are attractive native mammals that are excellent indicators of ecosystem health. They are an apex predator of our waterways, feasting on fish, yabbies and sometimes even ducks!
Rakali have webbed feet and come in many colours, this one in a very fetching apricot and chestnut brown.
Goldfields Library Corporation contacted us at Connecting Country seeking a speaker for their Big Ideas series. As Tanya had recently researched the ecology, evolution and conservation of these lovely animals, she jumped at the chance. Please come along to find out more about Rakali, and how you can help them thrive in the dams and waterways of the Castlemaine region.
When: Thursday 1 March 2018 at 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Where: Castlemaine Library (212 Barker St, Castlemaine)
Bookings: Attendance is free, but please register here
Fun facts about rakali:
- Based on anecdotal reports, rakali will travel several hundred metres across dry land to dine on delicacies, such as pet food left out regularly on a back porch.
- Rakali thrive in both freshwater and seawater environments. They may be observed in environments as varied as beneath a busy pier in Geelong, or in a quiet freshwater stream in the mountains, or even in concrete lined lakes and ponds in public gardens.
Wallabies at the bird bath – Nature News 7 February 2018
Posted on 12 February, 2018 by Tanya Loos
For this month’s Nature News, local landholder Jane Rusden talks about the many animals, both feathered and furred, that use the bird baths at her bush block in Campbells Creek. This article was featured in the Midland Express on 7 February 2018.
Birdbaths are very popular right now.
Birdbaths are a win-win for both the native animals enjoying the water, which is so important in this blistering hot weather, and the humans that get to watch them. I have several sizes of bird baths in different locations on my bush block, suiting different species of birds and other animals.
The pedestal bird bath with gently sloping edges is very popular with the small to medium sized bush birds. It’s so attractive because there are shrubs nearby that the birds can dart into if feeling threatened or unsure. Everything enjoys a drink as well as a good wash and swim: from all twelve White-winged Choughs in a family group trying to cram in at once, to tiny Striated Thornbills. Surprisingly, the Yellow-footed Antechinus also favours this bath, with the vertical pedestal and the underside of the concrete bowl no obstacle to their agility.
On the ground there is a ceramic birdbath, with gently sloping sides to provide a gradient of water depth, and a small shrub or two nearby. It is preferred by the ground foraging Common Bronzewing, but Crimson Rosellas, Brown-headed and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters use it for drinking and swimming as well.
All the waterweed in the trough has been eaten by the hungry wallabies! Photo by Jane Rusden.
The deeper cattle trough in the shady courtyard is frequently visited by the echidna, who enjoys a long drink by sticking its nose in up to its eyes and blowing bubbles. In this extremely hot weather, Magpies and Fuscous Honeyeaters will stop by for a drink and a rest in the cool, while the wallabies have taken to jumping right in and sitting there while they cool down and drink at the same time.
We don’t have a TV, but don’t wish for one, as we can spend hours watching the local wildlife use the different birdbaths in their own unique way.
For more on birds and bird baths, see our recent blog post bird-baths-tips-for-keeping-birds-cool-and-safe
Turn your property into habitat for woodland birds
Posted on 8 February, 2018 by Frances
Would you like your property to provide a home for threatened birds and marsupials? We’re looking for keen local landholders with at least three hectares of remnant vegetation to set aside for our local wildlife.
Only one week left to get involved in our Prickly Plants for Wildlife project!
Trees are great, but small native animals need shrubby habitat to find food, build nests and shelter from predators. Due to a long history of gold mining, timber cutting, grazing, and introduction of rabbits and weeds, many of our woodlands are missing these important prickly shrubs. We’ll work with you to develop a plan specific for your property and needs. As well as planting key understorey species to enhance existing native vegetation, actions can include watering, weed control, rabbit control and ongoing maintenance. We’ll also provide financial support and advice to implement the plan.
Requirements for eligibility:
- Local property: Your property must be located within the Shire of Mount Alexander, Victoria.
- An area of at least 3 ha of native vegetation: We need a project area of a minimum of three hectares containing some remnant vegetation, such as scattered eucalypt trees, or land that is in transition to native species after the removal of grazing. This project is not suited to revegetation of cleared paddocks.
- Commitment to project management: Eligible landholders will receive a site visit, management advice and a property habitat management plan. We’ll also provide some financial support for on-ground actions such as planting, watering, pest control and maintenance. On-ground work will be overseen by the landholder, with the help of local contractors. You will manage any contractors on your property. However, we’ll be available to offer advice and help with any questions.
How to apply:
Please fill in the expression of interest form (link below) and email it to bonnie@connectingcountry.org.au by Monday 19 February 2018. If you have any questions or would like to discuss, please call Bonnie at Connecting Country on 5472 1594.
Expression-Of-Interest-Form-Prickly-Plants
Bushy Needlewood – Hakea decurrens
A female eastern Spinebill, by Geoff Park
Spreading Wattle – Acacia genistifolia
Ecology artworks at Falkner Gallery until 25 March 2018
Posted on 5 February, 2018 by Tanya Loos
Two beautiful exhibitions by talented local artists are on now at the Falkner Gallery in Castlemaine: Margaret Cromb showing ‘Bushland’ and Greg Somerville showing ‘…stitched to everything…- musings of an errant ecologist.’
Margaret is one of Connecting Country’s most avid bird survey volunteers and we are really delighted that Margaret is generously donating 50% of the net proceeds of her exhibition sales to Connecting Country! Thanks Margaret – you are already so generous with your time!
Margaret’s ‘Bushland’ exhbition is a series of watercolours and woodcuts that describe the natural environment of Central Victoria. Margaret writes: ‘I consider myself to be especially blessed to live in an area surrounded by extensive forests and I continue to enjoy exploring them and becoming more familiar with the birds and animals which inhabit them. I have been involved over many years with Landcare especially in the Casey/ Cardinia area where I came from. More recently I have become involved with Connecting Country and its bird-monitoring program. Spending time in the bush looking for birds and being immersed in the environment is a great joy to me. I am impressed with Connecting Country and its focus on restoring natural habitat by educating and supporting landowners. So it is a pleasure to be able to donate to its activities through this exhibition.’
The works depict bushland scenes, individual trees and wildflowers, often including local birds. Margaret’s characteristic layering of colour washes can be seen in her representational portrayals of the local environment, about which she is so passionate.
Upstairs, Greg Somerville captures the local environment with different media – textiles and photography – but with similarly powerful effects. His training and early work as a biologist has led him to use the insights of science, especially ecology and Chaos Theory, in his artistic output. Greg writes:‘The imagery I utilise is grounded in the patterns, textures and minutiae of the bioregion in which I live. They are also informed by my knowledge of biological structures, the energies and relationships found in ecosystems, within the micro and macroscopic….The patterns of water drops on leaves, the way lichen spreads on sandstone or the manner in which trees co-inhabit the landscape is every bit as revelatory as the great texts, painting or musical composition.’
His abstracted quilted works and his photographs use detailed patterns, textures and layers to suggest the complexities and subtleties of nature.
Both exhibitions are on now and continue until 25 March 2018, with 50% of the net proceeds from Margaret’s work being donated to support Connecting Country.
Please note Falkner Gallery’s revised hours for 2018: Wed 1-5, Thurs–Sat 11-5 and Sunday by appointment. The gallery is at 35 Templeton St, Castlemaine.