Friends of Box Ironbark Forest AGM with ‘Living with Wildlife’ presentation by Tanya Loos

Posted on 3 September, 2025 by Lori

Do you have you have a bird attacking a window, a possum in the roof, phascogales harassing your chickens, or a visiting venomous snake in the backyard?  Or just want to learn more about local wildlife and how to live with them.  Get along to the Friends of Box Ironbark Forests AGM and hear from popular and entertaining local presenter, Tanya Loos.

 Tanya lives in central Victoria and is passionate about wildlife and nature! She has worked as a Woodland Bird Project Coordinator for Connecting Country and Biodiversity Projects Officer for Macedon Ranges City Council – and at present she is Avian Influenza Response Coordinator at BirdLife Australia.

Tanya loves sharing nature knowledge about how to live more harmoniously with the animals that live where we live – and how our homes and backyards can be safe havens in a time of climate breakdown.  Tanya believes there are simple steps we can take that are wildlife friendly and make sure your place is a haven.  In her presentations, Tanya loves drawing from ecological science to educate and inspire people to care about wildlife and wildlife habitat.

Tanya will be sharing her passion through an entertaining presentation at the Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests AGM at 6pm on Monday 8^th September at the Castlemaine Senior Citizens Centre, Mechanics Lane, Castlemaine. This will be followed by a light supper and the opportunity to buy Tanya’s book ‘Living with wildlife’, FOBIFs excellent field guides and a raffle ticket for  gorgeous lithographs of the anticlinal fold, hakea or banksia by local artist Bev Lewis.

When: Monday 8^th September, 6pm

Bird of the month: The Corvids – Ravens and Crows

Posted on 18 August, 2025 by Lori

Article by Damian Kelly and Jane Rusden

Little Ravens (most likely) at Coliban Waters Castlemaine Water Treatment Plant Bird Hide. (Photo Jane Rusden)

At the brand new bird hide put in by Coliban Water at the treatment plant in Castlemaine *, waterbirds and waders are the obvious focus when bird watching. However, a pair of what I believe are Little Ravens were caught goofing around in a very silly display, quite unlike the often cooler demeanor we usually see in this species. The sighting led us down the Corvid “rabbit hole”.  Reading on, you’ll discover why I have not definitively stated which of our two local species the photos are of.

Although ravens are not always popular with people for various reasons, it is important to acknowledge that they perform an important scavenger role in cleaning up dead wildlife as well as eating a variety of agricultural insect pests as well as seeds. They are omnivorous and feed mostly on the ground. Ravens have adapted to a wide variety of habitats and are common around farms as well as cities, and obviously Water Treatment Plants.

Australia has five species – Australian Raven, Little Raven, Forest Raven, Torresian Crow and Little Crow.  To quote the Handbook of Australian and New Zealand Birds (HANZAB): “All Australian Corvus are very difficult to distinguish and great care is needed to identify species.” Even the experts can be confused!

Whilst on the face of it all species look similar, in reality it is fairly easy to identify a species based on location – in most areas only one or two species are present. Around the Mount Alexander region we only have two species – Australian Raven and Little Raven and the Little Raven is far more common. Travelling further afield of course can be tricky. And unless you want a bird identification head ache, you don’t want to be in the north coast of NSW where all five can be found.

Locally the Little Raven is the most common and can be seen in large groups out of breeding season. Calls of our two local species are quite different with the Australian Raven tending to be longer and more drawn out than the Little Raven. You are best to listen to the calls on a birding app on your phone to become familiar with each, as trying to describe sounds in words is often not a lot of use.

Working out the age of a bird can be done by checking out the iris of the eye: adults are white with a bluish ring around the pupil, immatures are brown and juveniles blue-grey.  Other indicators sometimes used to aid identification such as the throat hackles or colour at the base of feathers are often not much use in the field.

Pairs of Australian Ravens are generally sedentary and defend their territories all year round whereas Little Ravens move a lot, only defending small territories during breeding season and then joining large mobile flocks after breeding. These movements have been recorded over distance of several hundred kilometres at times, specially with juvenile and immature birds.

Nests are usually an untidy collection of sticks with a softer internal lining high up in large trees. Both parents build the nest and feed the young, but only the female does the incubation. Currently there is a pair either renovating or building a nest high up in the Big Tree in Guildford.

In many Aboriginal language groups, the raven is seen as a trickster or hero. Ravens have been recorded using tools such as sticks to retrieve food such as larvae from logs or dropping items on hard surfaces to crack them open. They also store food in caches for later use and can remember the location for long periods. Hikers’ packs are also fair game as ravens have learned to open small pockets and even sealed bags. Some field zoologists have had to stop nest monitoring surveys of threatened bird species (or at least their route between nests) if an Australian Raven is in the area, as they learn to follow the researchers, find the nests and predate the chicks.

A pair of what we believe are Little Ravens, goofing about … perhaps strengthening their pair bond, at Coliban Waters Castlemaine Water Treatment Plant Bird Hide. (Photo by Jane Rusden)

* Note: to access the birdhide at the Coliban Water Treatment Plant, email communications@coliban.com.au  to sign the access agreement form and apply for a key.

Bird of the Month is a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we take a close look at one special local bird species. We are blessed to have the brilliant Jane Rusden and Damian Kelly from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing these! We’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community.

National Tree Day Community Planting and Nature Celebration

Posted on 14 August, 2025 by Lori

Due to the heavy, but very welcome, rain event on the weekend of National Tree Day in late July, the National Tree Day Community Planting event hosted by Connecting Country in partnership with Friends of Campbells Creek was postponed to a new, and hopefully more sunny, date coming up on Sunday 24 August.

The day offers an opportunity for the community to come together, learn about and take action to restore local biodiversity in the face of climate change.  We have over 3000 grasses, shrubs and trees to go in the ground which will build on the significant habitat corridor along the Campbells Creek.

As well as planting, there will be lots of family friendly nature engagement including ‘mini forest’ creations with Wild Families (part of the Victorian National Parks Association) and nature themed craft activities.

FREE BBQ lunch with Rotary to follow.

Everyone welcome – big and little, old and young!

When:  Sunday 24 August 10am-1:30pm

Where: Campbells Creek trail, upstream from Princess Street bridge, Campbells Creek

Please bring: gardening/leather gloves, hat, and wear sturdy footwear and clothing suitable for the weather.  Gumboots might come in handy!

A bit thank-you to the event sponsors – The Hub Foundation, Community Bank Maldon and District and Mount Alexander Shire Council.

Taking Root and Branching Out

Posted on 24 July, 2025 by Lori

All are invited to this special Landcare Week event, Taking Root and Branching Out hosted by Barkers Creek Landcare and Wildlife Group and Connecting Country at Phee Broadway Theatre on Wednesday 6 August.

Experience an immersive audio documentary by local creative audio producer Kyla Brettle, about the nearly 30-year story of Barkers Creek Wildlife and Landcare Group and the long game to restore health to the natural environments of Central Victoria.

Learn about their new Comprehensive Ecological Repair Plan for the 35 ha bushland reserve in Barkers Creek (Harcourt), and with cutting edge approaches to landscape repair,  developed with local ecologist Paul Foreman from Biolinks Alliance.

Be part of a discussion led by Sharon Fraser, with representatives from Barkers Creek Landcare & Wildlife Group, Connecting Country, DJAARA and Biolinks Alliance, exploring strategies for implementing this project and how we can all help to restore health to the natural landscapes of Mt Alexander Shire.

Enjoy a fabulous Landcare ‘morning tea’, or rather, sticky supper.

When:    Wednesday 6 August 2025 6:30pm -8:30pm

Where:   Phee Broadway Theatre, 212 Barker Street, Castlemaine

Tickets:  $15 adult /$10 concession (children under 12 free).  Bookings here

This special event is hosted by Barkers Creek Landcare and Wildlife Group and Connecting Country with funding and support from Mount Alexander Shire Council, The Victorian Landcare Program, North Central Catchment Management Authority, Ian and Shirley Norman Foundation, Council, The Little Red Apple, Biolinks Alliance and The Good Opp Shop.

Bird of the Month – Weebill

Posted on 22 July, 2025 by Bonnie Humphreys

Weebill ‘shouting’, Photo by Damian Kelly

Written by Damian Kelly and Jane Rusden

In the local Box-Ironbark forest it’s fairly rare to go for a walk without hearing the Weebill. Although seeing it can be tricky, as typically they are in constant motion as they forage in amongst foliage. A give away is their hover, similar species don’t exhibit this behaviour. The best interactions I’ve had with Weebills, is when I’ve been sitting quietly nature journaling in my sketchbook, and a flock moves through the scrub around me. In these instances they can come very close to you and no binoculars are required to get fantastic views of the tiny but sometimes bold bird.

Measuring from bill tip to tail at 80mm and weighing in at just 6 grams, the Weebill is Australia’s smallest bird, but not by far with the Brown Thornbill just 1 gram heavier on average. As its name implies the bill is also very small and and stumpy which makes it easy to distinguish in the field from other Thornbills that invariably have longer, pointy thorn-like bills. It has been placed in a different genus to the other Thornbills.

Weebill foraging in a stunted Box tree, at the Ochre Pits. Photo by Jane Rusden

A glance at the distribution map for the Weebill shows that it is widespread throughout Australia apart from some inland deserts and tropical rain forest areas. Detailed banding studies have shown the Weebill is a sedentary species with little local movements. Recoveries of banded birds have shown the 99% were recorded less than 10km form original locations. And surprisingly for such a small bird, some recoveries have been of birds over 7 years old.

Weebill foraging, perhaps for lerp. Photo by Jane Rusden

Food is mostly insects of various kinds, although at times seeds are also taken. Breeding usually occurs August-December, although nesting has been observed at any time of the year when conditions are suitable. Nests are dome-shaped and are built mainly in eucalypt foliage. Clutch size ranges from 2-4 eggs. Both females and males incubate and feed the young.

Calls are quite loud for such a small bird with a whistled song that is quite distinctive and can sound like it’s calling its own name, “Weebill”.

Bird of the Month is a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we take a close look at one special local bird species. We are blessed to have the brilliant Jane Rusden and Damian Kelly from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing these! We’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community.

National Tree Day – POSTPONED TO 24TH AUGUST

Posted on 4 July, 2025 by Lori

POSTPONED TO 24TH AUGUST 2025

Due to inclement weather this event has been postponed for a month to the 24th of August.

National Tree Day was established by Planet Ark in 1996 and is an annual call to action for all Australians to get their hands dirty and give back to the environment.

To celebrate, Connecting Country is partnering with the Friends of Campbells Creek to host a community planting day along the newly completed trail, just upstream from the Princess Street bridge in Campbells Creek.

We will be hoping to plant over 3000 plants which will require many helping hands, big and little!  As well as planting, there will be lots of family friendly nature engagement including ‘mini forest’ creations with Wild Families (part of the Victorian National Parks Association) and nature themed craft activities.

FREE BBQ lunch with Rotary to follow.

When: Sunday 27 July 2025 10:00-1:30pm Sunday August 24th 10.00 -1.30pm

Where: Campbells Creek trail, upstream from Princess Street bridge – see map

Please bring:  Your own drinking water and your favourite planting tools.

Wear: gardening/leather gloves, hat, and wear sturdy footwear and clothing suitable for the weather.  Gumboots might come in handy!

This event offers an opportunity for the Mount Alexander community to come together and take direct on-ground conservation action to restore and enhance our local biodiversity. All welcome!

A bit thank-you to the event sponsors – The Hub Foundation, Community Bank Maldon and District and Mount Alexander Shire Council.

Protecting large, old habitat trees in Metcalfe

Posted on 27 June, 2025 by Bonnie Humphreys

Sarah lives on her family’s farm in Metcalfe. The 30 hectare property has been managed for sheep grazing for many years. While sheep are still agisted within the property, Sarah has her eye on habitat creation and the restoration of indigenous flora across the property – ‘We’ve been adding to the remnant and revegetated areas every year and are already seeing a big increase in birds.’ Saray says.

Sarah’s property has an ephemeral (seasonal) creek line, grassy paddocks, and scattered large old Eucalypt trees, mainly Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora), River Red-gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), Long-leaf Box (Eucalyptus goniocalyx) and some Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis). Sarah loves these large old trees ‘These giant old trees are so precious, it’s so good to see them fenced off and protected from hard hooves and nutrient overload, and to see the understory we have planted start to grow up underneath which will soon be full of birds’.

Connecting Country has been very lucky to secure support from the Ian Shirly Norman Foundation in partnership with the Victorian Government NatureFund to run a program over the past 2 years to protect large old Eucalyptus trees within farmland in the Mount Alexander Shire, and to provide succession for the next generation of these to mature.  These large old trees are scarce in our landscape, largely due to historic gold-mining, timber harvesting and clearing for agriculture.  These trees are so critical for habitat for a range of animal species, particularly threatened species such as the Brush-tailed Phascogale that relies on tree hollows for nesting.

Some key actions within the project included;

• Fencing to exclude stock. Stock increase nutrient loads around trees, as well as introducing weeds and compacting the soil.
• Retaining fallen limbs and leaf litter. These provide homes for insects, foraging resources for small animals and birds, and protection for the soil.
• Planting of understorey species around the trees. This helps provide resources and habitat for animals, who in turn, help manage pests. These plants also provide some direct protection for these large trees.
• Installation of nest boxes.  Phascogale nestboxes were installed throughout the property support the threatened species to breed and move through the landscape.
• Providing stock proof guards to protect strategic recruitment of trees within paddocks.
• Controlling pests such as weeds and rabbits
  

With funding from our project partners, Connecting Country was able to support Sarah to be a step closer to achieving her goals and vision for the property. In June last year she held a planting day. ‘We had around thirty people come and help plant the trees and had a bush dance the evening inviting everyone in Metcalfe.  It was so much fun and people are excited to come back next year, see how far the trees have come and plant lots more’.

The plants are off to a great start, especially given the extended dry we have been having and are already popping out of the guards.  ‘I can’t think of many better feelings than watching a fairly barren, grazed landscape come back to life, shoot up and begin bursting with biodiversity again’.

Connecting Country is very proud to be able to support properties like Sarah’s and to work with such an enthusiastic and committed community.  We acknowledge and are very grateful to the Ian and Shirley Norman Foundation and the Victorian Government (through the Nature Fund) for supporting this valuable work.

My introduction to Galk-galk Dhelkunya (Forest Gardening) – by Chrissi Charles

Posted on 12 June, 2025 by Lori

On a chilly day in May, Connecting Country partnered with Dja Dja Wurrung Aboriginal Clans Corporation (DJAARA) to host a cultural walk through a co-managed site in Leonards Hill. The event provided an opportunity to learn about cultural land management practices, in particular those outlined in DJAARA’s Galk-galk Dhelkunya (Forest Gardening Strategy).

One of the participants on the day, Chrissi Charles, a volunteer with the Friends of Box Ironbark Forests (FOBIF) wrote this beautiful personal account of the day:

My introduction to Galk-galk Dhelkunya (Forest Gardening)   

Article by Chrissi Charles, Photos by Bonnie Humphreys

My name is Chrissi, and I am a volunteer with the Friends of Box-Iron Bark Forests. As someone who works as a conservation ecologist, but is new to living on Dja Dja Wurrung Country, I am aware of how little I know and how much I must learn about the cultural and ecological history of this place. On a chilly morning in mid-May, I was lucky enough to nab a spot at a collaborative event hosted by Connecting Country and DJAARA which consisted of talks, conversations and a site tour exploring some of the forest gardening practices outlined in DJAARA’s Galk-galk Dhelkunya Forest Gardening Strategy. The following is a small highlight of what I took away from the amazingly informative morning, plus some extra curricula reading of the strategy.  Found here.

The morning began with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony by Dja Dja Wurrung elder Uncle Rick Nelson who emphasised that “everyone is needed to heal country”. As a non-Indigenous person with English, Irish and North American heritage I find it a welcome reminder of the importance of the magnitude of restorative work there is to do, particularly in a landscape that has been so heavily impacted by colonial practices that had little respect for the rich ecology and culture in place.

After being welcomed onto Djaara country we all funnelled back inside for a presentation by DJAARA employee and Galk-galk Dhelkunya forest gardening project manager Oli Moraes.

The Galk-galk Dhelkunya (translated meaning- to care, to heal, trees and forests) is “Djaara’s contemporary philosophy and practice of managing Djandak’s (Dja Dja Wurrung Country) cultural landscapes” [1]. The strategy is “guided by Dja Dja Wurrung cultural Lore and obligations. Djaara’s connection to Country, cultural rights and obligation have never ceased, nor was sovereignty ever ceded”[2]. The strategy doesn’t shy away from the challenges of incorporating cultural land management practices across a wide variety of tenure types, but it also provides clear guidance and a generous opportunity for non-Djaara land managers to support Djaara priorities.

Oli’s presentation highlighted the ways in which Dja Dja Wurrung country still bears the scars of relatively recent destructive practices such as gold mining and the intensive forestry that sprung up to bolster the industry.

One key historical legacy that Djaara is tackling with the forest gardening practices is the overabundance of galka (trees) across a range of forest types on Djaara country. Too many trees may seem like a strange problem for those not embedded in the world of conservation land management, but an overabundance of trees in some forest types can have negative ecological and cultural consequences. Forests with too many trees (compared to what’s normal for healthy mature forests of that type) can block sunlight from the ground. This can stop smaller plants from growing and reduce the variety of habitats available in the forest. An overabundance of trees also increases the competition for sunlight and nutrients which can cause trees to grow skinnier and straighter than they would if they were in a less competitive environment. While tall straight trees can be useful for timber harvesting (and are natural in some forests), in other forest types, tall skinny straight trees reduce the understory biodiversity and reduce the likelihood that trees will form large limbs which over decades can naturally break off leaving behind tree hollows. Ecologically, large hollow bearing trees are critical habitat for species such as sugar gliders and brush-tailed phascogales who rely on hollows for their homes. On a small scale, a patch of dense trees provides its own unique habitat, however widespread clearing and logging across the region has resulted in many forests with overabundance of dense straight trees and a relative dearth of sparse, large, hollow bearing trees.

Cultural thinning is a culturally responsive method based on the scientific principle of ecological thinning which involves selectively removing some trees to reduce the overall competition for resources and improve the growth rate of the surviving trees. In some forest types, thinning occurs naturally over time; ecological thinning accelerates this process to help create a healthier, more resilient ecosystem that can support a greater diversity of plant and animal life in a shorter time. Like ecological thinning, cultural thinning involves “selectively removing galka in overly dense spaces” for ecological and community benefits. However, cultural thinning has the additional benefit of “reaping cultural outcomes such as increased space for older galka to thrive and utilization of thinned product for tools and artifacts.”[3]

We were able to view some of the recent outcomes of cultural thinning during the tour which took place in a patch of the Wombat Forest in Leonards Hill, that is co-managed by DJAARA. The patch was a Messmate Stringybark (Eucalyptus obliqua) and Candlebark (Eucalyptus rubida) dominated forest with a scattering of Narrow-leaf and Broad-leaf Peppermints (Eucalyptus radiata and E. dives), Blackwoods (Acacia melanoxylon) and Silver Wattles (Acacia dealbata). The forest had been regularly harvested by Forestry Victoria up until the 1990’s, utilizing a mix of forest harvesting techniques. One third of the site had been clear-felled (all trees removed), with the other two thirds having been selectively logged, with some larger trees left as seed trees. To heal country Djaara have been combining cultural methods with ecological sciences to understand the landscape from multiple perspectives. In studies of the site, the clear-felled area had an average of 2000 tree stems per hectare and in the selectively logged patch there was on average 1000 tree per hectare. A mature patch of this forest type should have around 20 large trees per hectare. If the forest was left to naturally mature (and in the absence of any large-scale fire or other disturbance event) the forest would likely naturally self-thin but this could take hundreds of years.

A key distinction between the ecological practice of thinning and the cultural practice of thinning, is not only the expanded cultural outcomes, but the on-ground approach to thinning. Rather than the scientific outcome of a strict number of stems per hectare, Djaara’s approach to thinning takes a distinct approach, part of which is based on what feels culturally right and what is culturally desired for the landscape.

As we walked around the culturally thinned forest, Oli highlighted that the thinned trees presented as much of a problem as an opportunity and there was no easy fix as to what to do with all the wood. The current approach is a blend of scientific, cultural and trial and error. In some patches trees have been ringbarked to kill the tree but the dead stems are left to naturally fall over; in other patches, trees have been felled, but timber is left on the forest floor; and other patches trees have been cut down and the timber has been removed from the site. Oli highlighted that where timber was removed, it is not Djaara’s intention to make any money out of the harvesting and that the wood was poor quality for use as firewood. However, some pieces of timber are utilised by the on-ground crew for cultural and creative practices. Across the different techniques, Djaara are returning to the site to observe the different ecological responses.

Cultural thinning is only one of the practices that are outlined in Galk-galk Dhelkunya forest gardening, but it was the practice we explored in the most detail during the tour. Other techniques include Djandak Wi (cultural fire practices), revegetation and rehabilitation of Djandak where vegetation has been removed, regenerative practices and partnerships across Djandak and practices to protect gatjin (water) across the landscape[4].

Restoring balance to the landscape both ecologically and culturally is a core element of all the practices in the Galk-galk Dhelkunya forest gardening project. “If you don’t have all the elements of the ecosystem, including Djaara, things are out of balance” shared Oli.

The morning left me feeling lucky to have access to such a generous sharing of knowledge so early into my time living and working on Djaara country and hopeful for future scientific and cultural collaboration.

[1] Page 16 of Galk-galk Dhelkunya Forest Gardening Strategy 2022-2034.

[2] Page 7 of Galk-galk Dhelkunya Forest Gardening Strategy 2022-2034.

[3] Page 31 of Galk-galk Dhelkunya Forest Gardening Strategy 2022-2034.

[4] Pages 31 – 35 of Galk-galk Dhelkunya Forest Gardening Strategy 2022-2034.

The Connecting Country/DJAARA cultural walk was made possible due to to funding from the Ian and Shirley  Norman Foundation and the Victorian Government through the Partnership Against Pests Program.

Bird of the Month: Brown Thornbill

Posted on 18 March, 2025 by Anna

Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla)

Welcome to Bird of the Month, a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we’re taking a close look at one special local bird species. We are blessed to have the brilliant Jane Rusden and Damian Kelly from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing these! We’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community. 

Brown Thornbill with its distinctive red eye. Photo by Damian Kelly

The Brown Thornbill is one of the typical “little brown birds” that are always moving fast in foliage and thus hard to identify. It is the only Thornbill species found locally with a red eye, which is a helpful distinguishing feature to look out for, though tough to see in certain light conditions.

The Brown Thornbill can be found in a wide variety of habitats along the east coast of Australia from northern Queensland around to South Australia as well as Tasmania. This adaptable species occurs in a range of habitats with a dense shrub layer, including wet and dry eucalypt forests, as well as heathlands and rainforests. Brown Thornbills have been recorded as high as 1200m in Victoria down to coastal areas. They can also be found in suburban gardens – in fact as I type this I am watching one have a good splash in a water bowl near my window.

A predominantly insectivorous species, it gleans most of its food from foliage and tree trunks as well as foraging on the ground. Occasionally it has been observed eating seeds, fruit and nuts when available.

Long term banding studies have shown that adults are predominantly sedentary although some movements occur from high zones to lower areas in winter. Young birds, however, do disperse to new areas when full fledged. Unlike some Australian species, Brown Thornbills do not have helpers at the nest and broods are raised by the pair. Nesting can occur from June to January, depending on the season and nests are built quite low down in dense shrubbery or even in grass tussocks. Nests are rounded, oval and domed with an entrance near the top. Materials include grasses, lichen, moss, and wool if available, bound together with spider web. Males and females appear very similar and juveniles are equally hard to separate from their parents once fully fledged.

The red eye of the Brown Thornbill is more difficult to see in these conditions. Photo by Damian Kelly.

Phascogale Nest Box Workshop with Harcourt Valley Landcare

Posted on 17 March, 2025 by Hadley Cole

Bird of the Month: Jacky Winter

Posted on 17 February, 2025 by Anna

Jacky Winter (Microeca fascinans)

Welcome to Bird of the Month, a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we’re taking a close look at one special local bird species. We are blessed to have the brilliant Jane Rusden and Damian Kelly from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing these! We’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community. 

A pair of Jacky Winters. Photo by Damian Kelly.

The Jacky Winter is one of the “Feathered Five’ indicator species selected by Connecting Country for their detailed 10-year Woodland Birds Action Plan for the Mount Alexander region. There have been noticeable declines in this species’  with the clearing of woodland in many parts of Australia. A handy way to find them, is to look along fence lines where paddocks butt up to bushland, as they love to perch on the fence wires preening or keeping an eye out for insects to eat for lunch.

Although it is a member of the generally colourful family of robins, the Jacky Winter has a more subdued colour palette of pale grey, white and brown, which allows it to blend in to the environment. Males and females are very similar in appearance. Also both sexes can be easily confused with female Hooded Robins, but the Jacky Winter is paler on the chest, it’s bill is slightly shorter and the white stripe down the side of the tail is continuous. To add to the confusion, both species’ distributions overlap considerably. Jacky Winters prefer areas of open woodland, and can be found over large parts of Australia,  as well as extending into Papua New Guinea.

In suitable habitat it can be easily observed with its typical feeding behaviour of hawking for insects using the ‘sit and pounce’ tactic typical of several different robins, where it sits on a low branch and then dives down to catch prey on the ground. They can often be seen in pairs whilst feeding. Food includes a range of insects and arachnids. Given the chance they are also known to be partial to cheese. Not unusual as I have experienced similar behaviour from a Brown Treecreeper pinching cheese from my lunch.

Jacky Winter sits on a nest. Photo by Damian Kelly.

In their breeding season they build a very small, cup-shaped nest mainly composed of twigs and bark and held together with spiders’ web. Clutch size is usually 2 eggs. Only the female incubates the eggs, but both parents feed the young. Unlike other Australian species, there is no evidence of helpers at the nest – all work is done by the breeding pair.

Long-term studies indicate that Jacky Winters are generally sedentary and remain in an area throughout the year. There is very little evidence of migration apart from some local seasonal movements. This sedentary aspect of their behaviour makes this species more vulnerable when habitat is cleared.

Jacky Winter. Photo by Jane Rusden.

Seeking data entry volunteer – and our sincere gratitude to the invaluable, Vicki Ryan

Posted on 5 February, 2025 by Anna

Connecting Country benefits from the dedication of many wonderful volunteers who collect data for our two long-term monitoring projects; woodland bird and nest box monitoring. For the last three years, one woman has been diligently working away in the background collating and entering these data, Vicki. 

Vicki is a retired director of resources and planning at a major Uni and has a wealth of experience in developing administration systems and processes, making her the perfect fit. Vicki joined us in the covid years, seeking some intellectual stimulation and to contribute positively. She had this to say about her time volunteering with CC:

“I enjoyed my time volunteering with Connecting Country and having the opportunity to work with such a dedicated and supportive team. It has been a privilege to provide support to this valuable organisation. I strongly encourage anyone who is considering volunteering to contact Connecting Country and take the opportunity to work with such an amazing team. Not only will you be contributing your services, you will also learn the nesting habits of phascogales and gliders, and become familiar with the many bird species found in this region.”

Vicki is sadly leaving Castlemaine and will be moving on to other things. She has been an incredible asset for us, and we will miss her greatly.

Thank you for everything, Vicki! 

Our wonderful data entry volunteer, Vicki Ryan.

Would you like to volunteer with us?

We are on the lookout for a data entry volunteer for our bird survey and nest box monitoring projects.  

Who we are looking for:

• Ideally you will have some data entry experience – No prior knowledge of fauna is required – although we promise you will inevitably pick up some bird names!

• You will be looking for a longish-term volunteer experience (at least 12 months). 

• You are able to come into our office (Castlemaine) to complete the data entry (ascending two flights of stairs) 

Hours/days are flexible.  

Bird data: data entry is concentrated in the winter and spring months, when you will process the bird data coming in from our survey team in the field.  A commitment of 1-2 hours per week during these seasons would be ideal, however this is flexible. 

Nest box data: data entry monitoring happens every two years (next in 2026), and will require a commitment of a 2-3 hours per week during autumn into winter.  

Responsibilities include:  

• Entering data from hardcopy datasheets into a database.  

• Generating summary reports and emailing/posting to landholders.  

• Collating and filing datasheets.  

If you are interested, please email anna@connectingcountry.org.au, with some info about yourself and your experience. 

Partnering against Pests: Rabbit control field day

Posted on 13 January, 2025 by Anna

Connecting Country is teaming up with Victorian Rabbit Action Network (VRAN) to deliver a Rabbit Control Field Day as part of the Partnership Against Pests project (funded by Agriculture Victoria).

When: Saturday February 15th starting 9:30am-1:30pm.

Where: Harcourt ANA Hall, 7 High Street, Harcourt.

The day will include an indoor presentation followed by onsite demonstrations at a private property including an introduction to various control methods, demonstrations on how to use a bait layer or set up a bait station and a look at the impacts of rabbit harbour and burrowing systems and how to manage them.

This event is FREE but places are limited so please book your tickets HERE.  

The address of the private property in Harcourt will be provided closer to the date of the event.

Please wear appropriate outdoor clothing, sturdy footwear, hat, sunscreen and bring a water bottle.

Morning tea and lunch will be provided.

Please note the field day will be rescheduled if an extreme weather event is forecast.

The rabbit control field day is funded by the Victorian State Government Partnership Against Pests Program.

Bird of the month: Wedge-tailed Eagle

Posted on 30 December, 2024 by Anna

Bird of the month: Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)

Welcome to Bird of the Month, a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we’re taking a close look at one local bird species. We’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community. This article was written by Damian Kelly and Jane Rusden from BirdLife Castlemaine District, accompanied by photos from them both.

Photo by Damian Kelly

Wedge-tailed Eagles, or ‘Wedgies’ as they are often known, can be seen all over the Mount Alexander region, usually soaring on thermals at great heights, identifiable by their characteristic wedge shape tail and broad up-swept wings. A common enough, though still awe inspiring sight when I’m doing Connecting Country’s Woodland Bird Survey on private land, on a peak along Fogarty’s Gap Road. Recently a pair cruised over the Campbells Creek bush, just high enough to clear the ridges, sending some of the local birds into a panic of alarm calls. Interestingly, wedgies don’t always illicit alarm calls from other bird species. My best guess is that potential prey bird species know if a Wedgie is on the hunt or not, and therefore if they are in danger of becoming a meal.

Australia’s largest bird of prey and one of the largest eagles in the world, it is more common across the inland plains and it tends to avoid human habitation when building a nest. Wedge-tailed Eagles are quite adaptable when breeding with nesting sites ranging from large trees on hillsides, low trees in desert areas, on cliffs, in rain forests and even on the ground on islands. Density of bird territories varies widely. In years of abundant rabbit populations pairs may nest within 700m of each other. In more difficult years a territory may be several square kilometres and some pairs will not breed. Nest are seemingly enormous heaps of messy sticks.

Photo by Damian Kelly

Diet is varied with rabbits composing a significant proportion when available, but the eagles are known to take a variety of carrion and road-kill when available as well as wood duck, ibis, raven, galah, cockatoo and even other raptors. They are also known to harass other predators such as other raptors and even foxes to steal food.

The colour of their plumage varies – very dark birds are often older adults, but this is not always the case, with some lighter coloured birds recorded breeding. At times, fledglings can even be darker than their parents. So you cannot reliably rely on colour to estimate age.

There is a lot of misinformation prevalent about eagles and bounties were paid to exterminate them up until quite recently. They are now a protected species, but sadly there are still cases of eagles being shot and poisoned with some recent high profile court cases in Gippsland. Detailed studies have shown that in reality eagles take a very small proportion of lambs lost each year.

Wedge-tail Eagle on a road side. Note the ‘trousered’ legs and powerful talons. Photo by Jane Rusden.

Incredible ‘Wedgie’ portrait by Damian Kelly

Seeding Our Future – Propagation Workshop with Newstead Natives

Posted on 23 December, 2024 by Hadley Cole

One of the key threats to local flora populations is seed security, particularly those species occurring in low numbers and fragmented populations that lack genetic diversity. Considering this Connecting Country is rolling out the Seeding Our Future project which focuses on building populations and connectivity of local flora species through community engagement and educational workshops on seed collection and propagation.

In early November we hosted the first event, a Seed Collection Workshop with Seeding Victoria in Castlemaine. The workshop was well received by a crowd of nearly 40 enthusiastic participants. Dan Frost from Seeding Victoria is a wealth of knowledge and shared his deep understanding of collecting various species of indigenous seed from across central Victoria. To read more about this event – click here

The second Seeding Our Future workshop is coming up on 22 February 2025: Propagation Workshop with Newstead Natives. This workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to learn from expert nursery person Frances Cincotta who will demonstrate various propagation techniques for some of our local indigenous plants.

The workshop will include:

• Seed sowing
• Propagating from Cuttings
• Propagating through the division of plants

The workshop will also include a short presentation from Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (DJAARA).

When: Saturday 22 February 2025, 9.00am -1.00pm

Where: Newstead Natives Nursery, 4 Palmerston Street Newstead VIC

Cost: $20 

 Morning tea and lunch will be provided. 

For bookings – click here

The Seeding Our Future project is funded by the North Central Catchment Management Authority through the 2024 Victorian Landcare Grants.

Seeding Our Future: Seed Collection Workshop with Seeding Victoria

Posted on 19 December, 2024 by Hadley Cole

On Saturday 9 November Connecting Country teamed up with Seeding Victoria to deliver a Seed Collection Workshop focussed on techniques for local indigenous plants. This workshop is part of a series of engagement events Connecting Country is coordinating through the Seeding Our Future project. This project aims to build the populations, and therefore resilience, of local flora species by engaging community members in the collection and growing of local species to build seed banks across the region ensuring seed security for future revegetation.

Dan Frost and Robert Hall from Seeding Victoria presented the workshop covering topics from seed collection permits, common and uncommon species worth collecting in terms of the price fetched per gram of seed, future projection of seed required for revegetation projects across the state (eg. for restoration projects as part of Victorian government BushBank program) followed by more practical aspects including collection techniques for various plant types.

Dan Frost has been collecting seed for almost two decades and brought a wealth of knowledge to the workshop. He talked us through the useful seed collecting equipment and talked about the increasing importance of creating seed orchards for collecting seed as weather patterns change significantly with climate change.

The second part of the workshop involved heading outside so Dan could talk us through identification of local flora species as well as recognising the various life stages plants move through and the optimum timing for collecting seed. We looked at a diversity of lifeforms including local everlasting daisies, shrubs, wattles, eucalypts, grasses and sheoaks. Dan also talked through the OH&S issues that can arise when collecting from trees. The most important message of the day was to always leave seed behind for the bush – as well as meeting permit requirements (only collecting 10% of seed from each plant) it is also critical seed remains in the bush for future growth for habitat and food for the local fauna.

Participants reported they enjoyed excellent presentations for Seeding Victoria staff, and many expressed their interest in getting involved in future seed collection and/or conservation projects.

“Thank you for the wonderful workshop. Dan was an excellent presenter with a huge amount of knowledge communicated really well. Thank you all! “

The Connecting Country team are pleased to kick the Seeding Our Future project off so successfully. We look forward to the next workshop: Propagation with Newstead Natives in February 2025.

The Seeding Our Future project is funded by the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA) through the 2024 Victorian Landcare Grants.

Connecting Country’s 2024 AGM: Growing our Future Together

Posted on 12 December, 2024 by Hadley Cole

On Saturday 23 November Connecting Country held it’s 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Campbells Creek Community Centre. The focus for this year was to provide an opportunity for Connecting Country members and the wider community to come together and think about what is important to our community in supporting local biodiversity and connection with nature. 

After 16 years of influencing positive environmental change on 500+ properties in the region, the time has come to look forward and consider the future of Connecting Country!  

Three local Connecting Country members, all from differing backgrounds, were invited to join a panel discussion facilitated by Castlemaine Institute’s Sharon Fraser. Brendan Sydes, Connecting Country Committee President and Australian Conservation Foundation’s Biodiversity Policy Advisor,  Ian Higgins, local natural resource management practitioner and founding member of Friends of Campbells Creek and Ann-Marie Monda, landowner (with Carla Meurs) from Wooroomook property in Sutton Grange who integrate environmental improvements within agricultural farmland, were invited to the panel to discuss what is important to them in local biodiversity conservation and how we can shape the future of Connecting Country to achieve this. 

Panel discussion with Brendan Sydes, Ian Higgins, Anne-Marie Monda interviewed by Sharon Fraser from Castlemaine Institute.

The panel discussed the current state of the environment at the broader scale of global, national and state levels and then moved on to the importance of action at the local level and how many of the actions we take locally have a direct impact on the ground. All three panel speakers spoke of the importance of Connecting Country as a network that brings the many Landcare, friends of and environmental groups together, providing a central point for people to come to share information and connect with others who have the same goals of protecting the natural environment.

AGM attendees were given the opportunity to break into groups and discuss local conservation actions they have been involved in throughout the last year and also think about what the role of Connecting Country has been for them as a Landcare, friends group member or a local Landholder over the previous 16 years. Small groups of participants recorded their visions for Connecting Country’s future that would provide financial security as well as meeting the most significant conservation needs of our local community. These ideas were recorded on gum leaves that were then displayed on branches of a beautiful tree painted by local artist Jane Rusden.

Sharon Fraser gracefully held the workshop with an open mind and sincerity and the Connecting Country committee and staff are very grateful for her input into the day. Contributions from participants on the day will be summarised and used by the Connecting Country Committee of Management in future planning.

The most important message that came out of the day is that Connecting Country remains widely respected within the community and holds a significant role in acting as a network of many branches, bringing together many local conservation groups and the broader visions for restoring and protecting the natural environment.

This Christmas, support landscape restoration and habitat creation in Central Vic

Posted on 28 November, 2024 by Anna

In this season of giving, please consider donating to Connecting Country and help support our vision for landscape restoration across the Mount Alexander region of central Victoria.

We can’t wait for governments to act! We need to build resilience in our local landscape in the face of climate change.  As a local, not-for-profit, community-based organisation, we work at the grassroots to protect, restore and enhance biodiversity to help threatened species, like the Brush-tailed phascogale and our wonderful woodland bird community, to thrive.

Over the past 15 years we have:

• Restored over 15,000 ha of habitat across the Mount Alexander region, which equates to around 8% of the shire.
• Delivered more than 245 successful community education events.
• Installed more than 480 nest boxes for the threatened Brush-tailed Phascogale
• Maintained a network of 50 long-term bird monitoring sites
• Secured funding to deliver more than 65 landscape restoration projects.
• Supported an incredible network of over 30 Landcare and Friends groups.

We should all be proud of what we’ve achieved. However, there’s much more to do.

You can be assured that any financial support from you will be well spent, with 100% invested into our core work of supporting and implementing landscape restoration in our local area. We run a lean operation and our small team of part-time staff attracts voluntary support that ensures every dollar goes a long way.

Donate here

Weed of the Month: Gorse

Posted on 28 November, 2024 by Lori

As we move through spring into the hotter, drier, summer months you will no doubt notice many of the local weeds flowering and seeding. This month, keep an eye out for the invasive Gorse (Ulex europaeus) which is a Weed of National Significance (WONS) and a ‘Regionally Controlled’ weed in the North Central Catchment – meaning landholders have a legal responsibility to control it. Gorse can be found right across the Mount Alexander Shire. It is a prickly woody shrub growing to around 3 meters, producing abundant, pea-shaped yellow flowers followed by pods of seeds which are spread through ‘explosive dehiscence’ in summer or as the weather heats up and dries out. Germination mainly occurs after rain in Autumn and Spring. 

Seeds remain viable in the soil for over 30 years, making an integrated and annual control program necessary to keep on top of infestations. Plants can also regrow from stumps. To control, cut and paint isolated individuals, hand pull small seedlings or grub out (disturb soil with a hoe, to essentially dig them up) large quantities of newly germinated seedlings. Spraying herbicide can be used for established infestations. For large infestations you may require a mix of techniques to achieve the best results, such as slashing and then spraying regrowth. 

There is now also specialised machinery, called an Eco Blade, that can groom out and chemically treat plants simultaneously which can be ideal for large infestations where there is no other vegetation present. Click here for a list of local weed contractors, and here for the Managing Gorse Manual.

For more information on Gorse or other land management topics, visit the Connecting Country website or contact us via email info@connectingcountry.org.au or phone 0493 362 394.  Landcare Groups are also a great resource for learning about local weeds. You can find your local group on the Landcare page of the Connecting Country website.  

The Weed of Month article is a segment from Connecting Country’s ‘Partnerships Against Pests’ project funded by Agriculture Victoria in 2024-25. Through this program, Connecting Country is working closely with local community groups, such as Landcare, to raise awareness of local pest plant and animal issues, with the aim to empower community with the skills to address these threats.  The project includes seasonal awareness campaigns around key pest issues as well as workshops, and market stalls across the region. Keep an eye out for Connecting Country staff and Landcare volunteers holding weed information market stalls at Mount Alexander Shire markets over the coming months.  

The Bee Line Project: Victoria Gully Group’s pollinator corridor planting

Posted on 28 November, 2024 by Hadley Cole

In 2023, Connecting Country received funding through the Victorian Landcare Grants for the pollinator corridor project; The Bee Line Project. This project has involved partnering with four Landcare groups in the Mount Alexander Shire to coordinate the planting of 1600 pollinator-attracting plants with the aim of building diverse pollinator corridors throughout the region.

Research demonstrates a serious global decline in pollinators due to habitat loss, a lack of connectivity between isolated pockets of habitat and climate change. Pollinators are the bees, butterflies, flies, wasps, moths, birds and even bats that are critical to the successful reproduction and survival of many of Australia’s native plants and food crops. The Bee Line Project brings these often-undervalued species to the forefront of habitat restoration and biodiversity conservation efforts, providing a focus for local Landcare and Friends groups to work together with a common goal. 

Victoria Gully Group (VGG) are a local group comprising of residents who live close to Victoria Gully, which starts in the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park south of Castlemaine and meets Forest Creek at Greenhill Avenue, Castlemaine. Affectionately known by locals as the ‘gully’, Victoria Gully accommodates a range of recreation and aesthetic needs including children’s play, walking and bike riding. From the south the gully starts as a narrow, deeply-incised channel then widens to an open, grassed valley with a jumbled topography resulting from historical gold sluicing. This valley is home to a large mob of kangaroos and an intermittent unnamed creek runs along the east side.  

Pollinator plants added to existing Victoria Gully Landcare Group site. Photo by Victoria Gully Group.

This year, VGG planted 300 tube stock provided by Connecting Country through the Bee Line Project. The planting plan was developed by Bonnie Humphreys from Connecting County and VGG members following a site visit in November 2023.  

Victoria Gully Group members got together on 30 July and 2 August to plant the pollinator attracting plants across various sites in the “gully”. The planting included species such as Lemon Beauty-heads (Calocephalus citreus), Narrow-leaf Bitter-pea (Daviesia leptophylla), Dusty Miller (Spyridium parvifolium) and Austral Indigo (Indigofera australis) which all provide habitat and food for insect pollinators as well as having lovely showy flowers.

At the site there is an existing frog pond installed by VGG in 2017. The group decided to add further habitat value to this by adding in some pollinator attracting plant species. Group members dug out clumps of Phalaris grass to make space for the new plantings, replacing the weedy grass with indigenous plants. 

Victoria Gully Landcare Group’s pollinator planting sites were considered carefully for their biodiversity value and for opportunities to extend existing habitat and create corridors. As “the gully” sits adjacent to Castlemaine Diggings Heritage Park, restoration work across this area links up to existing bushland, extending habitat corridors.

Well done, Victoria Gully Group for harnessing your people power to restore habitat for local pollinators!