Restoring landscapes across the Mount Alexander Region

Fine food and owlet-nightjar magic at our December bird walk

Posted on 7 December, 2016 by Tanya Loos

Our last bird outing of 2016 was a little bit different – 17 of us met at Jane Rusden’s bush block at Campbells Creek. After a fairly humid walk, we returned to Jane’s home where she had prepared a incredibly delicious festive morning tea! But let’s talk about birds first – and, in particular, our thrilling sighting of a owlet-nightjar.

Jane and Martin’s property is 40 acres of heathy dry/ valley grassy forest that runs along a gully line. Their property was included in our 2016 Connecting Landscapes on ground works program, with weed and rabbit control, some planting and the erection of a number of exclosures to keep out hungry browsing wallabies. The property is a hotspot for woodland birds such as Australian Owlet-nightjar, Speckled Warbler and Painted Button-quail. In fact, on Monday Jane excitedly contacted us reporting an adult Painted Button-quail with three large chicks!

Our walk on the 4th December 2016 was rather quiet, with only 18 bird species observed over a couple of hours. We travelled up Hawkins Rd into the surrounding Castlemaine National Heritage Diggings Park, and then looped around to walk up the gully on Jane’s block. The highlight was when Greg Waddell called out to our group –  an owlet-nightjar had been disturbed by our presence!

after being flushed, the owlet-nightjar returned to its cosy hollow in a broken off tree stag. Pic by Peter Turner.

After being flushed-out, the owlet-nightjar returned to its cosy hollow in a broken off tree stag. Pic by Peter Turner.

The Australian Owlet-nightjar is a surprisingly small bird, and so special it is in a bird family all on its own! There is just the one species in Australia, and six species in Papua New Guinea. For many of us (including me!) it was the first time we had laid eyes on this enchanting bird.

The owlet-nightjar is considered to be a good indicator of ecosystem health – their penchant for using many small hollows tells us that there are plenty of hollows in that part of the bush.

Despite the forest being reasonably quiet we all had a chance to brush up on our bird calls – with many learning the calls of the Spotted Pardalote and the White-throated Treecreeper for the first time.

As we headed into the gully, some of us observed a Yellow-footed Antechinus – a quick glimpse of this small charismatic native mammal.

After our walk we returned to Jane’s. I was a little late as I had to get some feathered five maps from the car, and as I went up the stairs all I could hear was ecstatic ‘oohs and ahs’ at the food Jane had so kindly prepared!

The feast was our way to thank everyone for their participation on the monthly bird walks, and for sending in their bird sightings.  The dairy-free Mango Celebration Cake, Lime Macadamia Balls and Fruit Cake were highlights and those who subscribe to the Bird Survey Enews will get the amazing cake recipe as requested!

Huge thanks to Jane for the feast and inviting us into her home, Greg Waddell for spotting the owlet-nightjar, and Peter Turner for photographing it! Thanks also to the Helen MacPherson Smith Trust who support our Stewards for Woodland Bird program.

Our monthly bird walks will continue in 2017 on the first Sunday of the month. Contact Tanya Loos for more information: tanya@connectingcountry.org.au or phone 5472 1594.

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The Mount Alexander Council Plan – have your say!

Posted on 7 December, 2016 by Connecting Country

postcardWhat do you love about living in Mount Alexander Shire? What are your aspirations and priorities for the shire over the next four years? The Mount Alexander Shire Council has asked Connecting Country to share the news that they are developing their four year Council Plan. You could help shape the Council Plan by contributing your views and by sharing the opportunity to contribute with your friends and networks.

There are a number of ways to get involved in this project. For more information please visit the website.

http://haveyoursay.mountalexander.com.au/council-plan2021

 

Nature News December 2016 – Lichens: Underrated Natural Wonders

Posted on 7 December, 2016 by Connecting Country

For this month’s Nature News, found on page 38 in this week’s Midland Express (6th December 2016), Bronwyn Silver, nature photographer and co-author of Eucalyptus of the Mount Alexander Region, shares her interest in the natural beauty and wonder of our local lichens.

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Map Lichen (Rhizcarpon geographicum) Photo: Bronwyn Silver

I was originally attracted to lichens, especially ‘map’ lichens, because they looked so unusual. Map lichens (Rhizcarpon geographicum) come in many colours and often have intricate arrangements due to each lichen being surrounded by a black border and adjacent to another. Many of the rock surfaces tightly encrusted with map lichen look like aerial maps or abstract art works.

Unless you are watching out for this lichen, these subtle and often small formations can easily be overlooked. But once I became aware of their wonderful abstract qualities and sought them out, I found them to be quite common in our bushlands.

Then, when I did more research, I began to find lichens even more fascinating. Although they are sometimes confused with moss, lichens are unrelated to moss or any other plant. In fact, lichen can be regarded as a community rather than a single organism because it always consists of at least one species of alga and one species of fungus that grow together in a mutually beneficial relationship. The fungus provides protection and absorption of minerals and gains nutrients from its photosynthesizing partner in return.

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Peppered Rock Shield lichen (Xanthoparmelia conspersa) resting on rock and moss (Triquetrella papillata) Photo: Bronwyn Silver

There are over 3000 known species of lichen in Australia; some are leafy, some are plant-like, and some are flat. Map lichen and other flat types are pretty much the same in all weather conditions. Other lichens are called ‘resurrection’ plants because they can switch off their metabolism and then fire up again when there is moisture.

The greatest threats to lichens are fire and pollution. However, the importance of conserving lichens is generally overlooked despite their many benefits for the environment. Like mosses, they can help with soil stabilization and the colonisation of barren environments.  Some animals eat them, insects shelter in them, and people have used them for food, perfume, medicine and dyes. For example, traditionally lichens were used to produce the colours of Harris Tweed.

And very importantly they can enhance our aesthetic appreciation of the bush with their varied colours, unusual shapes and wonderful patterns on the surfaces of rocks, trees, leaves and soil.

If you would like to find out more about lichens a good place to start is the three engaging interviews with Tasmanian lichenologist, Gintaras Kantvilas, available on the ABC Science Show – click here.

 

Soils workshop with Katie, Hugh and NCCMA

Posted on 1 December, 2016 by Connecting Country

On Wednesday the 30th November 2016, Connecting Country was proud to partner with the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA) to provide an soils health workshop as a extension to our Farm Field Day held in August. Sixteen attendees were taken through the soils guide which was developed by the NCCMA to help people to conduct tests on their soil to survey for soil health. Katie and Hugh Finlay, from the Mount Alexander Fruit Gardens, kindly hosted the event on their orchard in Harcourt and shared their understanding and land management practices in relation to soil health.

Mandy Coulson (NCCMA) and Martin Hamilton (Department of Agriculture) lead participants through the guide which aims to give landholders a quick and easy group of soil tests they can do on their patch. It’s intended that these results become baseline information for soil health. Katie and Hugh grounded this exercise with the story of land management practice change on their orchard, current practice and resultant soil health.

Connecting Country has copies of the soil guide available from their office at the Hub – feel free to drop by and pick one up. Another great resource for people interested in soils is the The Brown Book website hosted by the Corangamite CMA.

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrate International Volunteer Day with MAVN

Posted on 1 December, 2016 by Connecting Country

Connecting Country would like to share Mount Alexander Volunteer Network’s series of morning teas and information sessions to celebrate International Volunteer Day. The session will include resources and opportunities to strengthen volunteer programs across the shire. These events will be a great way to find out more about support for volunteering in our shire and acknowledge the contribution that volunteers make locally.

mavn-logoOn Sunday 4th December 2016, join them for a thank you event at the Castlemaine Farmers Market in Victory Park, between 9am – 11am. Federal MP, Lisa Chesters, will be on hand to express her thanks and local community radio station MAIN FM will be broadcasting live from Victory Park, chatting on-air to volunteers and volunteer involving groups. The Volunteer Network will have thank you cards for community members to sign as a gesture of thanks for local groups and – most importantly – there will be CAKE.

On Monday 5th December 2016, join them for two free information sessions, with information and opportunities to support and strengthen your volunteer involvement. Contact Jacqueline at mavn@outlook.com for more information.

ENGAGING JOB SEEKERS & WORK FOR THE DOLE VOLUNTEERS
Castlemaine has a very high level of eager, educated and professional people looking for volunteer opportunities to fulfill Centrelink requirements. Some folk may be semi-retired but not quite at pension age; others are returning to the workforce after raising families or recovering from an illness. Funding is available to support teams of job seekers who undertake 6 month placements. Find out how your community group can benefit from job seekers seeking volunteer opportunities.

11am Monday, 5th December 2016, The Gov Café, Old Castlemaine Gaol
Morning tea provided. RSVP to Jacqueline at mavn@outlook.com

FOOD SAFETY FOR COMMUNITY GROUPS: what you need to know to provide safe, legal food service
From sausage sizzles, to cake stalls, selling food is a tried and true fundraising strategy employed by many community groups. Sometimes the laws and requirements around safe food handling can be intimidating and confusing. Representatives from Council’s Environmental Health department will be joined by a leading food safety trainer who will spell out exactly what is required and how to go about providing safe, legal food service.

1pm Monday, 5th December 2016, The Gov Café, Old Castlemaine Gaol
Light lunch provided. RSVP to Jacqueline at mavn@outlook.com

Many thanks to Cobaw Community Health for funding the catering for International Volunteer Day.

 

Wildlife friendly garden workshop with Cassia Read

Posted on 28 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

Among exuberant flowers and darting pollinator insects, twenty people gathered in Cassia Read’s Castlemaine garden on Saturday the 19th November 2016 to learn about wildlife friendly gardening. Cassia’s mission for the workshop was to inspire and inform people about how to nudge their gardens in a wildlife friendly direction. Cassia suggested elements that could be added to any garden to make it more biodiverse, whatever the gardeners needs and values.

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Cassia (left) talked about how we could all nudge our gardens in a wildlife friendly direction.

Cassia explained that she’s passionate about wildlife friendly gardens because life in the garden brings beauty and joy; it fosters a connection between people and nature; and, because gardens can provide a refuge for wildlife in a changing climate.

A garden is a community of plants and animals, living together and interacting with each other. Cassia introduced the concept of garden community ecology with a drawing of a food-web in her own garden. This illustrated how energy, harvested from the sun by plants, moves up the food chain; from pollinating and leaf eating insects and seed and nectar eating birds, through predatory insects, reptiles, frogs, small bush birds, bats and phascogales, to larger carnivores such as kookaburras and boobook owls.

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Foodweb in Cassia’s garden, showing ‘who eat’s what’ and the movement of energy harvested by plants from the sun, up the food chain to larger predators (Illustration by Cassia Read).

Cassia drew attention to the importance of insects in bringing wildlife to the garden, because many of the larger vertebrates either eat insects directly or they eat the insect predators. Even small honey-eaters supplement much of their diet with insects living in the tree canopy.

Cassia invited participants to spend a moment quietly observing life in the garden in two different locations, using two different ways to observe: an unfocussed, dreamy gaze that allows you to see all the movement in the garden with your peripheral vision; and a focused gaze to see the detail of particular species and individuals going about their daily lives. Cassia commented that observation is the key to wildlife friendly gardening. The more you look, the more you learn and enjoy and are inspired to create a living landscape around you.

Cassia discussed the spectrum of garden styles that range between pavement and bushland, with biodiversity in the garden increasing as you moved from a low diversity, simplified landscape like a park, through to a garden with different vegetation layers, different micro-habitats and more indigenous species.

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Spectrum of garden styles, from pavement to bushland, with garden biodiversity increasing with complexity of vegetation structure, micro-habitats and indigenous plantings (illustration by Cassia Read).

During the guided tour around her half acre block, Cassia discussed elements she has added to her garden to create shelter and food for wildlife. Standing around her small pond, participants discussed how the creation of even a small pond, planted with local water plants, brings frogs, dragonflies, aquatic invertebrates and a place for quiet reflection and observation. Other important elements included:

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Cassia’s pond has Pobblebonk tadpoles but no mosquito larvae because she’s introduced native Murray Rainbow Fish that eat wrigglers but not frogs eggs.

  • Growing indigenous and exotic flowers for native pollinators such as native bees, wasps, hoverflies and butterflies. Through extending the flowering season with thoughtful planting you can extend the time nectar and pollen are available to pollinators;
  • Planting dense and prickly shrubs where small bush birds can hide from cats and aggressive or predatory birds;
  • Building leaf litter, mulch and woody debris for insect habitat, which in turn provide food for ground foraging birds, reptiles, frogs and phascogales;
  • Adding nest-boxes and artificial hollows to trees for birds and bats – but watch out they aren’t placed too high or you won’t be able to evict Indian Miners and other wanted pests;
  • Planting a drought-tolerant native lawn that provides food and shelter for moth and butterfly larvae, and seed for native pigeons and Diamond Firetails;
  • Creating varied rocky habitats for basking lizards, including rock on soil and rock on rock. Also, pupae from ant colonies that live under the rocks are an important food source for ground foraging predators.

The workshop concluded in the shade of a gum tree, with an exercise and conversation about nudging our own gardens for wildlife. What more could we do and what were our barriers? Cassia guided participants to think about their gardens in terms of management zones, from high maintenance and input zones such as the small orchard, to low maintenance and input zones such as areas of drought-hardy, native shrubs planted for screening at the front of a block.

Thanks to all attendees for coming along, and to Cassia and Melanie Marshall from the Mount Alexander Shire Council for their work presenting and bringing this event into fruition. Much was learned from Cassia’s unique perspective on how to build a garden and engage with nature.

For further information visit our Wildlife Friendly Garden webpage here.

This workshop has been supported by Connecting Country, through funding from the Australian Government and the Mount Alexander Shire Council through their Sustainable Living Workshop Series.

 

 

2017 intake for CALM courses at Bendigo TAFE

Posted on 24 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

tafe-logoBendigo Tafe is again calling for expressions of interest in the 2017 intake for Certificate III, IV and Diploma of Conservation and Land Management. If you are reasonably fit, want to learn more about the environment and enjoy being outdoors this may be the course for you.

Current graduates are employed by places such as Connecting Country, DELWP, NCCMA, Local Contractors, Councils and Conservation Volunteers Australia. There are no pre-requisites for any levels.

Certificate III – gain skill sets – pathways to further study or employment

  • Farm Chemical Users Certificate
  • Chainsaws
  • Fencing
  • Revegetation
  • Water quality, macro-invertebrate survey and animal identification skills
  • Introduction to Native Flora
  • Weed and Pest management
  • Multiple field trips
  • Camps where applicable

Certificate IV – gain knowledge – pathways to further study or employment

  • Native Flora and Fauna ID
  • Survey methodology
  • Farm Chemicals Users Certificate
  • Revegetation
  • Mapping
  • Pest Management
  • OHS
  • Project Costing
  • Environmental Policies and Legislation
  • Multiple camps and field trips

Diploma – It is advised that students have completed the Certificate IV or have extensive environmental background – pathway to further study or employment

  • Research
  • Planning River restoration
  • Whole Farm Planning
  • Conduct Biological Surveys
  • Advanced Flora ID
  • Creating Management Plans
  • Environmental Legislation
  • Creating Funding Bids
  • Management of Weed and Pest Planning
  • Management of Alpine, Woodland and Coastal Parks
  • Multiple camps and field trips

For more information you can go to the Bendigo Tafe website and put in an enquiry/online application or contact Terri Williams, Coordinator of Conservation and Land Management, twilliams@bendigotafe.edu.au (03) 5434 1743.

 

Talking Fire – Igniting a Spark

Posted on 24 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

There’s a triangle involved in fire; which involves conditions, substrate and spark.  The “Talking Fire” weekend on 12-13th  November 2016 lit a spark, but it certainly wasn’t damaging. The triangle of local, Indigenous and technical expertise, field and forest visits, and space to talk about what people in the Newstead-Maldon community have heard and seen, all created another sort of ignition.

Part of the field trip convoy through the Muckleford Forest looking at ecological values, burning and fire recovery

People are concerned about the places they love, including home and the local landscape more generally. Talking Fire was a great start to a new kind of conversation: about learning, reducing fear, building understanding, caring for our towns, settlements and the whole landscape together.

Thanks to everyone who participated and contributed. Especially Maldon Urban Landcare Group (MULGA). And for funding – thanks to Mount Alexander Shire Community Grants, Maldon and District Community Bank (Bendigo Bank), Norman Wettenhall Foundation. For catering – Newstead Primary School, Newstead Mens’ Shed; for gifts – Goughs Range Olives and Newstead Natives; in-kind support – Newstead Landcare, Connecting Country, Newstead Fire Brigade, Newstead Auxiliary, Friends of Box Ironbark Forests, Bendigo TAFE, DELWP. And our recorders – Julie Hough, Julie Millowick, Christine Sayer, Marion Williams, Simon Beckett, Andrew Skeoch, Sarah Koschak, Gordon Dowell. And three cheers for the planning group too.

Andrew Bennett (wildlife and landscape ecologist, La Trobe University and Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research), Sam Strong (pHD candidate at Charles Sturt University), Joan Sartori (Newstead CFA Auxiliary), Mick Burke and Trent Nelson (Dja Dja Wurrung Clans)

Andrew Bennett (wildlife and landscape ecologist, La Trobe University and Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research), Sam Strong (pHD candidate at Charles Sturt University), Joan Sartori (Newstead CFA Auxiliary), Mick Burke and Trent Nelson (Dja Dja Wurrung Clans)

And mostly, to everyone who came to any of it, or all, and joined the chat. Talking Fire think there were around 40 – 50 on each day, and not the same attendees, or speakers. It made for more conversations.

Because many people couldn’t attend the event, or only came to parts of it, Talking Fire are curating the audio, visual and audio-visual of the weekend at their website www.talkingfire.org. You will be able to get a gist of the conversations there. But please be a bit patient for it all to arrive.

Talking Fire are also interested in collecting ‘fire histories’ around the CFA auxiliary, and other fire experiences – to share and learn from. Contact Gordon 0467 586 881 or Janet 0439 003 469.

More info: www.talkingfire.org or Chris 54762457.

 

South African Weed Orchid – ID first, then dig out!

Posted on 23 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

South African Weed Orchid, Disa bracteata, is flowering now and if you’re quick  you can help stop the spread of this emerging and highly invasive weed in our area. Tanya recently found them at Barkers Creek Reservoir in Harcourt and we have some photos to help you identify them. And, if you do find them, practice good bush hygiene so that you don’t spread the infestation.

South African Weed Orchid is a  perennial terrestrial orchid with underground tubers. Dormant for much of the year, it sprouts in early spring with a rosette of leaves, followed by flower spikes developing into seeds as the weather drys out during summer.

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South African Weed Orchid – whole plant, roots and bulbs. Photo: Bonnie Humphreys

Stems – erect and fleshy usually 30–50 cm tall. Leaves – a rosette of green leaves with purple undersides, tapering from a broad base to an pointy tip, 5–15 cm long.  These weeds are distinct from indigenous Onion Orchids (Microtis spp.) as they have a rosette of leaves, while the native Onion Orchids have one round leaf, often extending above the flower spike.

Flowers – from late October through to December in Victoria. 15– 30 flowers grow on a thick cylindrical spike 5–20 cm long, which resembles a greenish-brown asparagus spear. Flowers very dense and are mostly reddish-brown and yellow with a leafy bract.

Seeds – black, minute and dust-like, contained within the capsular fruit. The species is autogamous (self-pollinating) and thus produces

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Treatment by digging out and carefully bagging plant matter is useful in containing the spread of this invasive weed. Photo: Bonnie Humphreys

a large amount of seed per plant. The main form of dispersal is wind, but seed can also be spread on shoes, clothing and vehicles, as well as in water and through animal and soil movement. The seeds can remain viable for years. (This means that one seeding plant this year means many weeds for many, many years to come.) Seed set and dispersal starts at the end of November or as the weather drys out. The seeds continue to mature even if the flower head is picked.
Tubers – generally thought to have 1–3 tubers, similar  in appearance to a small potato, about 20 mm in size. The plant also has a mass of fleshy  roots and there is no main tap root.

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The weed orchid has 1–3 tubers about 20 mm in size also has a mass of fleshy roots and there is no main tap root. Photo: Bonnie Humphreys

Treatment – Manual removal requires digging up and removing all parts of the plant, including the tuber, leaves and flowers. The plant material must be bagged securely (e.g., in a snap-lock bag) to prevent the fine dust-like seed from spreading further.

Currently this weed has been recorded in relatively small numbers in Chewton, Redesdale, Elphinstone, Taradale, Walmer, Barkers Creek, Sutton Grange, Ravenswood and Harcourt.

For further reading see this link for more information and reading references see page 6 of this 2009 edition of Weedscene magazine.

 

Fantails and Button-quails on the Metcalfe Bird Walk

Posted on 23 November, 2016 by Tanya Loos

On the 6th of November 2016, Connecting Country’s monthly bird walk was at Metcalfe Nature Conservation Reserve, or “the Common”. We met at the Metcalfe Hall, and some twenty of us were delighted to hear that locals, Brian and Kate Hamond, had something special they wished to share.

Safe and sound, photo by Maeve Boyle

Safe and sound, photo by secondary school student Maeve Boyle

A large roll of wire in the Hamond’s open shed proved an excellent nesting spot for a pair of Grey Fantails. As we all gathered around, binoculars in hand, we were delighted to observe the pair swap over egg brooding duties. They seemed unconcerned by our presence, and Brian said he has been able to go about his usual business in the shed without disturbing the fantails. Many thanks to Brian and Kate for this exciting start to the morning.

We set off to the Common and the excitement continued – for the moment Greg Waddell opened the car door, we were stunned to get very good views of a small quail-like species as it walked and then flew away into the woodland. A rather technical discussion of Button-quail identification followed using a couple of bird books. We decided that the Pizzey and Knight field guide is most useful in these situations, as it has the key identifying feature in italics.  It was agreed that the bird was a Little Button-quail, rather than the more common Painted Button-quail. Little Button-quails are being seen increasingly in Eastern Australia after these record-breaking rains and – although rarely seen – they are on our local bird-checklist-for-the-mount-alexander-region.

The highlight birds seen along the Ridge Track were probably the Rufous Whistlers, calling incessantly from the canopy. A quiet spot that morning, we saw just 13 species along the track. The wildflowers were stunning however – thick masses of flowering Chocolate Lilies and Yam Daisies.

We traveled around the Goldfields Rd to the more lush areas on the lower slopes of the Reserve, and did a Twenty Minute 2 Hectare count as we walked up the slope and we saw 9 species. The birds were a bit hard to see due to the lush and abundant growth on the Yellow Box and Grey Box. Again, the wildflowers were a treat- with Chocolate Lilies and Bulbine Lilies in huge drifts. Thanks to Maeve for being our scribe.

wet-wet-spring-639We also saw a white form of Chocolate lily! This is not an albino – just a colour variation. You may have noticed some white forms yourself – such as Wax-lip Orchids, and also more recently, Bluebells (Wahlenbergia).

Our Bird Walks usually finish up at about 11:30am, but this time we travelled back to the Metcalfe Hall and I gave a short Powerpoint presentation on the birds of the Metcalfe area.

It was a very enjoyable morning, and I would like to thank Debbie Farmer, Secretary of Metcalfe Landcare, for organising the Hall and publicising the event locally. It was fantastic to have some beginner birdwatchers there!

Smiles in the woodland, pic by Tanya Loos

Smiles in the woodland, photo by Tanya Loos

 

Vale Ern Perkins

Posted on 21 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

The Connecting Country community is deeply saddened to learn of the recent passing of Ern Perkins.  Along with wife Lesley, Ern’s efforts to discover and document the flora and fauna of Castlemaine and surrounds over a period of more than 40 years are legendary.  The findings of this research have formed the basis for so much of our knowledge about the local environment.  He was passionate about making this information available to the general public.  Ern mentored many local ecologists, and was a great believer in using rigorous scientific survey methods.  He was a great supporter of Connecting Country, and regularly provided advice on plant species identification and occurrence.  He was also involved in many other local groups including Friends of Kaweka, Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club, FOBIF and Castlemaine Landcare.

It would be a monumental task to list all that he has achieved, but some of the highlights include:

  • Co-authorship of the ‘Eucalypts of the Mount Alexander Region’, launched by FOBIF only a couple of months ago (click here for more info)
  • Development of the comprehensive ‘Wild Plants of Castlemaine’ interactive guide, and subsequent free distribution to the local community and Landcare groups (again, only in the past couple of months was this released)
  • Long-term maintenance of the list of plants of Castlemaine district, which has been the most valuable document on the shelves of many local botanists
  • Monthly 20-minute, 2-hectare bird surveys at more than 15 locations for a period of more than 10 years
  • Coordinating hundreds of repeated plant surveys at burnt and unburnt woodland plots within local bushlands
  • Development of the Grass Identification Guide CD for the local area
  • Maintenance of the Photopoint Project for the local area
  • Development and maintenance of many brochures on the identification of plants and animals of the local area, as well as brochures on local sites to visit.  Many of these brochures are available at the Market Building and Goldfields Library.
  • Dozens (if not hundreds) of articles published in the Castlemaine Naturalist newsletter.

He was awarded an OAM in 2000 for Services to Conservation.  In 2008, Ern was awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion, which is awarded annually to the person judged to have made the most meritorious contribution to the understanding of Australian Natural History.  In late 2015, his local contribution was recognised with life membership of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club.  He is an inspiration to the staff of Connecting Country.

We send our condolences to Lesley and family.  He has established a legacy that everyone with an interest in the local environment will need to work together to continue.  (Follow these links to read messages from the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club and Castlemaine Landcare – as published in the Castlemaine Mail newspaper on 11 Nov 2016).

Vale Ern Perkins.

Ern (on right) at the launch of his Grass Identification CD in 2012.

Ern (on right) at the launch of his Grass Identification CD in 2012.

 

 

Lions? We don’t have lions, but we do have Antlions!

Posted on 17 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

dscn0408Connecting Country’s field botanist, Bonnie Humphreys, came across an interesting creature this week while out in the field conducting vegetation surveys and finding her way around her new camera. Upon return to the office, Bonnie did some hunting around to see what it was that she had captured with her camera. Turns out it is an antlion, but the species remains unknown. Perhaps one of our readers could help us identify it?

The antlions are a group of about 2,000 species of insect in the family Myrmeleontidae, known for the fiercely predatory habits of their larvae, which in many species dig pits to trap passing ants or other prey.

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Antlion cone shaped trap.

The sand traps are about 40mm diameter. The Antlion sit at the middle of the trap, covered by loose sands. When an ant or other small insects walks inside the trap, some sand falls into the centre to alert the Antlion. It flicks more sand to the ant and cause the ‘land sliding’. The ant then falls towards the centre and the Antlion attacks the ant by its long jaws.  Some other species larva burrow freely in sand or live on trees as predators. They pupate in soil with cocoon covered with sand. Eggs are laid singly and scattered in dry soil. You can watch another species of antlion in action here.

 

If you do recognise the species we’d love to hear from you, please leave a comment below.

 

Wednesday 30th November – Soils workshop with Katie Finlay and NCCMA

Posted on 14 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

soils-guideFollowing on from our Farm Field Day in August, Connecting Country is working with North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA) to run a short workshop about soils in Harcourt.

During this workshop participants will hear from Katie Finlay from Mt Alexander Fruit Gardens about their property and the role soil  health plays in their farming system. Practical instruction from Mandy Coulson (NCCMA) and soil scientist Rebecca Mitchell will take participants through a series of soil tests in the recently launched Soil Health Guide to measure health on your land.

If you’d like to come along, the free workshop will run from 10 – 11.30am on Wednesday November 30th 2016.

 

To reserve your place at this event, please follow this link: https://www.trybooking.com/241695.

For more information contact Naomi on 5472 1594 or email naomi@connectingcountry.org.au.

 

Tarrangower Cactus Control Group nominated for Parks Vic award – vote for them!

Posted on 10 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

Cactus Warriors partying and celebrating at the recent Maldon Easter Fair

Cactus Warriors partying and celebrating at the recent Maldon Easter Fair

The Tarrangower Cactus Control Group has let Connecting Country know that they have been nominated for Parks Victoria’s Kookaburra Public Choice Award. You, your family and friends can support the Cactus Warriors by voting for them.

You can go direct to the voting form through this link:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/publicchoiceaward

If you would like to read more about the award and those who have been nominated before you vote please use this link:  http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/get-involved/volunteer/kookaburra

Voting closes on 30 November 2016. Let them know you care!

 

 

 

 

Call for photos from Friends of the Box Ironbark Forests

Posted on 9 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

The theme of the next FOBIF photo exhibition is “Mountains and Waterways”.

Mount Tarrengower from Chewton Hills. Bernard Slattery, 23 June 2010

Mount Tarrengower from Chewton Hills. Bernard Slattery, 23 June 2010

Togs Cafe in Castlemaine will host the next FOBIF photo exhibition in November 2017. FOBIF are now calling for your favourite photo/s of;

  • Mount Alexander, Mount Tarrengower or other mountain in Mount Alexander region (you can include photos of the mountains and flora and fauna on the mountains); and/or
  • Waterways such as creeks, rivers, dams, Expedition Pass, Bells Swamp, Cairn Curran or the Moorlort Wetlands.

There is also plenty of time to take new photos; the closing date for the submission of photos is not till 1 October 2017. FOBIF are telling people well in advance of the exhibition as this years heavy winter and spring rains means now is a perfect time now to take waterways photos.

They will place all photos they receive in a designated album on the FOBIF Flickr site as long as they fall within the guidelines. A FOBIF sub-committee will then select approximately 18 photos to be printed and framed for the exhibition. If your photo is selected, as well as being included in the exhibition, you will receive a free framed copy of your photo.

Guidelines

  1. Photo to include Mountains or Waterways within the Mount Alexander region and including Moolort Plains.
  2. Email photos to info@fobif.org.au – at this stage only send files under 1 mg. A small file size is fine for Flickr but the photo will need to be at least 3 mg to be printed and included in the exhibitions.
  3. Include the photo’s location, date, plus identification of flora and fauna.
  4. Photos can be closeups, landscapes as well as photos where flora and fauna associated with mountains and waterways are the main feature.

They have already set up the Mountains and Waterways album so you can get an idea of the range of photos that fall within the guidelines.

Contact Bronwyn Silver at info@fobif.org.au or 5475 1089 for further information.

 

Stilts, tuans and Swifty make for a great Connecting Country float!

Posted on 9 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

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An enthusiastic mob of kids and adults turned out to show their support for Connecting Country last Friday night at the Castlemaine Show Parade

Twenty people volunteered to walk the main street of Castlemaine proudly showing their support for Connecting Country on the evening of Friday 28th October. We were lucky to have an appearance by Swifty the parrot and a resident tuan along for the float as well as Ella with her amazing stilt walking ability for all to see.

This fun event aimed to promote the work that Connecting Country does in our local area to the broader community of Castlemaine. Volunteers in high-vis also gave out hedge wattle seeds, caramello koalas and eucalyptus lollies to the happy and supportive crowd.

A big thank-you to Bonnie for donating the wattle seed, Jarrod for driving the red ute, Beth, Ella and Micah for dressing up and everyone else for volunteering their time and enthusiasm for Connecting Country.

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Our resident tuan and Theo enjoy the afternoon sunshine on the direct seeder before they head down the street.

 

Little Habitat Heroes campaign reaches $2000!

Posted on 7 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

Version 5Connecting Country is proud to be supporting the Little Habitat Heroes in their campaign to raise funds for landscape restoration at the former silkworm farm site on Mount Alexander. They have raised just over $2,000 already and are keen to raise at least $3,000 to cover the costs of plants, guards, and a community planting day in 2017.

This project was born by a group of new mums who met at a Mothers Group in Castlemaine in early 2016. They shared a dream to create something unique for their babies’ first birthdays and wanted to contribute to the restoration of the local environment and give their children the gift of a personal connection with nature.

For more information about this project see our previous blog post.

Visit: www.littlehabitatheroes.org, or their facebook page or donate via Give Now. A huge thanks to all of those who have already donated.

 

 

11 Nov 2016 – Presentation about Native Victorian Moths

Posted on 5 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

Moth study in Victoria is at about the same stage as bird study was at in the late 1800s. There are currently few moth addicts and our knowledge is limited and patchy. Anyone committed to the cause can find new species for the state or even species new to science. Even the simple and basic question, “Which moth belongs to which caterpillar” is a mystery for many species. At the November meeting of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club, Marilyn Hewish will talk about her moth-hunting travels around the state, show photos of some of our most gorgeous and bizarre species and describe how her work at the museum fits into exciting new discoveries and developments in the study of Victorian moths, including the book series Moths of Victoria.

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Spectacular Emerald (Chlorocoma cadmaria). Photo by Marilyn Hewish

As per usual, the talk is being held on the evening of the 2nd Friday of the month (11 November 2016), from 7.30pm.  It will be in the Fellowship Room, behind the Uniting Church on Lyttleton St (next to the Museum-Art Gallery).  There is no cost for entry, and members and visitors are encouraged to attend.

A moth-attracting light will also be set up outside. After the talk, a variety of moths in many sizes, shapes and colours will be on display to enjoy. Please bring a camera and/or hand lens if you can, a torch, and warm clothing if you want to linger.

Marilyn Hewish was awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion in 2013 for her contributions over many decades to studies of Australian birds and more recently of Victorian moths.  She was editor of the annual Geelong Bird Report for 18 years, and author of ‘Birds of the Long Forest’, and co-author of several of the series Moths of Victoria.

Beautiful Leaf Moth (Gastrophora henricaria). Photo by Marilyn Hewish

Beautiful Leaf Moth (Gastrophora henricaria). Photo by Marilyn Hewish

 

 

 

16 & 17 November 2016 – Parks Victoria led walks around Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park

Posted on 3 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

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Join in the conversation about how best to manage heritage values in the diggings park.

Parks Victoria are currently reviewing the Heritage Action Plan for the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. As a part of this review, they are inviting the community to take part in three half-day walks at specific locations within the park. The aim of the “walkovers” is to share concerns and values of these areas to help inform their future management. See the itinerary below for an outline of each of the half day walks.

They might touch upon indigenous, natural, social or community values, as well as the significant gold-mining heritage, which together will help Parks Victoria present a holistic approach to the management and presentation of the Park’s landscape.

The walks will be led by Chris Johnston and John Dyke of Context Pty Ltd., who are helping Parks Victoria review and update the Heritage Action Plan.

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The Garfield-wheel in Chewton

Itinerary

Walkover 1: Garfield
Date: Wednesday 16th November 2016
Time: 10am to 1pm
Meet at: Garfield Wheel car park at 9.30am

Sites on walkover 1 include:

  • Welsh Village
  • Scotchman’s Gully
  • Quartz Hill
  • Garfield Wheel and environs

NB: this is a one-way walk with the idea of sharing a number of vehicles to drive to the start of the walk near Welsh village.

Walkover 2: Spring Gully
Date: Wednesday 16th November 2016
Time: 2.30pm to 5.30pm
Meet at: Spring Gully car park at 2pm

 Sites on walkover 2 include:

  • Eureka/Poverty Gully
  • The Monk
  • Old Coach Road/Goldfields Track
  • Spring Gully No. 1 mine and battery site

NB: this is a one-way walk with the idea of sharing a number of vehicles to drive to the start of the walk at the Eureka Reef site.

Walkover 3: Vaughan Springs
Date: Thursday 17th November 2016
Time: 10am to 1pm
Meet at: Vaughan Springs car park at 9.30am

Sites on walkover 3 include:

  • Vaughan Springs
  • River Loddon
  • Tubal Cain Mine
  • Helge/Italian Hill Track
  • Chinese cemetery
  • Irishtown (optional)

The walks will take approximately 3 hours with regular stops to enable Parks Victoria to record conversations and there will be an opportunity to fill in a record/comments sheet as we go or at the end of the walk. Strong footwear is advised and bring water and refreshments as appropriate, and are water-proof just in case!

If you are interested in attending or need any further information about this invitation, please contact Jade Harris on any of the contacts found below.

Email: jade.harris@parks.vic.gov.au

Please make sure that you RSVP by no later than the Wednesday 9th November to allow for appropriate planning of the walk overs.

 

Nature News November – Eltham Copper Butterflies, a summer highlight

Posted on 3 November, 2016 by Connecting Country

For this month’s Nature News, found on page 31 in this week’s Midland Express (2nd November 2016), local ecologist Elaine Bayes shares her interest and knowledge of the incredible life cycle and local community efforts to protect one of our special endangered species, the Eltham Copper Butterfly. 

The very pretty Eltham Copper Butterfly. Photo by Elaine Bayes

The very pretty Eltham Copper Butterfly. Photo by Elaine Bayes

As the weather starts to warm up, from November to March each year, Eltham Copper Butterflies will emerge from underground caterpillars. This small and endangered butterfly is endemic to Victoria where it was once widely distributed.  Eltham Copper numbers have declined due to land clearing and inappropriate fire regimes, to a point where they were believed to be extinct in the 1950’s.  They were rediscovered in Eltham in 1986.  These butterflies are currently listed as endangered in Victoria and nationally.

The reason I am fascinated with Eltham Coppers is they have a weird and wonderful and totally dependent three-way relationship with Notoncus ant species and Sweet Bursaria plants. Notoncus ants are nocturnal ants which live underground including at the base of Sweet Bursaria plants.  Eltham Coppers lay their eggs at the base of a Sweet Bursaria plant and once hatched the larvae is guided into the ant nest and protected.  The larvae over-winters in the nest and ants lead them out to graze at night exclusively on the leaves of Sweet Bursaria.  In return, the ants feed on sugars which are excreted by the larvae’s honeydew gland.

The Eltham Copper Butterfly and it’s attendant ants in the Sweet Bursaria. Photo by Damien Cook

The Eltham Copper Butterfly and it’s attendant ants in the Sweet Bursaria. Photo by Damien Cook

How does that happen?  How can they train ants to carry them to bed and take them out to dinner and keep them safe?  Its quite complex and includes production of a range of chemicals and pheromones which makes the ant think they are one of their brood and need looking after and protection.  It doesn’t end there, as pupae and larvae also make a range of noises which trick the ants into not recognising them as a threat and even protecting them.

The four known Eltham Copper populations across Victoria are now totally separate. This means that butterflies are no longer able to move between populations to exchange genetic material and make them more resilient to disease.  The Castlemaine population is centred in four main areas in our local parks. Ensuring that these areas are protected from prescribed burning, inappropriate development or invasion by weeds is critical for their long term survival.  As is finding and protecting new populations.  The Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club and Friends of Kalimna Park have protected local populations for decades by removing woody weeds, monitoring populations and negotiating with the state government on fire regimes.

Thanks to this community effort we have the largest stronghold of Castlemaine Copper Butterflies in Victoria – well that’s what I think they should be called!