Restoring landscapes across the Mount Alexander Region

7th May 2017: Woodland Bird Spotting at Walmer

Posted on 20 April, 2017 by Tanya Loos

Follow that bird! A bit of fun in the Sandon Forest…

On Sunday the 7th May 2017, join the Connecting Country bird nerds on a bird walk, lunch and planting! Local artist Eliza Tree has graciously invited us to her beautiful 30 acre property in Walmer for our next bird survey. The property is grassy woodland adjacent to Crown land and has been awarded a Trust for Nature covenant.

We will do the bird walk, led by Eliza,  and then have a BBQ lunch. We will also spend a bit of time having a discussion about the overall conservation of the Walmer area – and identifying some projects for future funding proposals. After lunch,  there will be an understory planting session – grasses and wildflowers.

This outing is one of the monthly bird outings in the Mount Alexander area – a few hours out in the bush with like-minded people, carrying out bird surveys on private and public land. This year we have visited a private bush block on Limestone Road, and explored the wonderful Saltwater Track, Elphinstone.

The bird walks are open to everyone with an interest in birds and habitat – even for the total beginner! We can supply you with a pair of Connecting Country binoculars for the outing, and our bird group is friendly and happy to help people 1) find the bird and 2) identify it! We are all learning together – even your walk leader had to send photos of a bird of prey to Geoff Park (Natural Newstead) to confirm that the bird was indeed a Square-tailed Kite!

By identifying and counting the birds on private land such as Eliza’s block in Walmer, we gain a greater understanding of the health of our woodland bird populations; especially of our target species such as the Hooded Robin and Diamond Firetail. By attending the monthly bird walks, we hope that participants will feel confident and inspired to survey birds on their own properties, or on the various bird survey sites on public land.

There are many ways to get involved in the Stewards for Woodland Birds program – to register or to find out more, contact Tanya at tanya@connectingcountry.org.au  or call 5472 1594. You can;

  1. Join the Bird Survey Enews mailing list for a monthly enews with updates on our bird walks and various projects.
  2. Come along to our next bird survey – the Walmer bird and planting event on May 7 with Eliza Tree ( RSVP required for catering purposes) Eliza extends a warm invitation to camp on her land at Walmer on the Saturday night! Please contact Eliza directly on m: 0409 209707 if you would like to camp.
  3. Send in your bird sightings! See here to find out more about how.
  4. Get involved with our KBA (Key Biodiversity area) program, featured recently here.

The Stewards for Woodland Birds Program is generously supported by the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust

12 responses to “7th May 2017: Woodland Bird Spotting at Walmer”

  1. Gayle Gissing says:

    Do you have room for me? Would you believe I didn’t know Eliza but we said good aye in Castlemaine. We were both on the way to sending an article at the post office. There was a line of people and I nearly turned to come back at another time, Eliza said the staff are very quick. We had a great chat about work trousers and where to buy them in town & her bird count at her property. Low & behold I get an email from the wonderful group Connecting Country about Eliza & her bird count!

    • Tanya Loos says:

      Well there you go! Meant to be, eh Gayle! I will send you an email now with all the details. : ) Tanya

  2. Ruth says:

    Hi Tanya
    I’m interested to join this bird walk. Can you please send more details?
    Ruth

  3. Carol Barker says:

    Hello Tanya,
    Me too! Please send the details. I should be able to go to the property directly from my place, just need directions.
    Regards,
    Carol

  4. Deb Shaw says:

    Hi Tanya,
    I’m interested in attending.
    Cheers
    Deb Shaw

  5. Helen Butcher says:

    Hi Eliza,
    I would be interested in the Bird Survey on Sunday 7th if I can get there.
    What time are you starting and some specific directions would be useful please. I gather somewhere on Sinclare’s Lane?
    Cheers
    Helen Butcher (Castlemaine)

    • Tanya Loos says:

      Hi Helen,
      Thanks for your interest in the outing! I will send you an email with all the details,
      warm regards, Tanya ( Connecting Country Woodland Bird Project Coordinator)

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