The Birdwatcher’s Monitoring Kit is ready
Posted on 6 November, 2014 by Tanya Loos
Ever wondered whether that honeyeater is likely to be a White-plumed Honeyeater or a Yellow-plumed Honeyeater? Local checklists can go a long way in helping to reduce the need to flip through 20 pages of honeyeaters in your favourite field guide! Connecting Country has developed a Bird checklist for the Mount Alexander region. A quick check of this list will rule out birds such as Yellow-plumed Honeyeater… This list was created with assistance from references created by the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club and from discussions with local specialists. Hopefully new species will be added to the list over time.
The Bird Checklist is just one of the tools now available as part of the ‘Birdwatcher’s Monitoring Kit’, now available on the Monitoring page of the Connecting Country website.
The Birdwatchers Monitoring Kit aims to help everyone, from beginners to experienced, get involved in birdwatching for both fun and conservation. The kit has the checklist, a hard copy data sheet, an Excel spreadsheet datasheet, a sightings sheet for the feathered five and most importantly a five page fact sheet on the hows and whys of bird monitoring to get you started.
The Brown Treecreeper pictured here was photographed by Greg License on a recent Connecting Country Bird Monitoring outing to the Clydesdale region, on Sunday 26 October 2014. A great outing was had by all – with the highlights being Crested Shrike-tits, amorous Peaceful Doves and the Diamond Firetail foraging quietly on the ground for grasses at the end . Our group saw or heard thirty-eight species in three hours. Many thanks to all for attending, and we hope to have more outings like this in the future.
Brown treecreeper by Greg License
14 Nov 2014 – Wildlife Watching in India
Posted on 31 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
The guest speaker at the Castlemaine Field Naturalist Club’s November general meeting is club president Nigel Harland. The title of Nigel’s talk is Wildlife Watching in India.
Nigel writes. “In February this year my wife and I spent three weeks in India, the main objective was to look at the animals and birds of the country, but we saw many other things, ranging from the utmost poverty to the magnificent historical buildings. Starting in Delhi, which is the same size as Australia, we headed south to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. No matter how many pictures you have seen of it, nothing compares with the reality. We then spent the rest of the holiday in three National Parks to the south of Agra.
These were Baratpur, Bandhavgarh and Khana. Baratpur is a birdwatcher’s paradise, whereas the latter two have many birds but a larger number of mammals. We spent much time in unseasonal rain, but it made little difference to our enjoyment of the trip.”
The meeting is on Friday 14 November, and commences from 7.30pm in the Fellowship Room behind the Uniting Church (on Lyttleton St, next to the Art Gallery and Museum).
16 Nov 2014 – Wetland Ecosystems Field Day
Posted on 31 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
A field day beginning at Melville Caves picnic area will take place on 16 November. (Melville Caves are a little under one and a half hours north-west of Castlemaine.) The event is being hosted by the Wedderburn Conservation Management Network and others, and will examine the often overlooked and threatened wetland ecosystems of Mt Kooyoora and Mt Korong. Local ecologist Paul Foreman will be leading an educational tour on the day. This is a free event with lunch provided. Further details are in this flyer.
October issue of ‘chat’
Posted on 31 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
The October 2014 edition of the North Central CMA publication, Chat, is now available and can be accessed on the NCCMA website. This issue includes articles on the upcoming Elmore Field Day, The Rural Women’s Award winner, a Chemfree Weeding Field day, and a new study on Indian Myna birds.
22 & 23 Nov 2014 – Farming & Conservation symposium
Posted on 31 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
This two-day symposium will bring together experts and practitioners to discuss complex farming and conservation issues. Many of the talks from the day overlap and complement Connecting Country’s education programs held over the past few years.
The location is Blackburn in Melbourne which is a little under 2 hours from Castlemaine. To download the registration/information form click here.
Slide Show – Well Organised Children Defeat Pines
Posted on 24 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
T
he Mount Alexander Regional Park got a big helping hand on Saturday 4th October 2014 when a group of over 150 adults and children took part in the second Landcare Camp Out on The Mount.
Bronwyn Silver from the Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests has made a great slideshow with photos taken at the event which captures the action.
Armed with saws, loppers, drills and Glyphosate, the group was bused from the Leanganook Camp ground to a site just north of Dog Rocks Saddle to dispatch invasive Radiata Pine trees growing in the Park. The pine trees are a threat to the native forests found on Mount Alexander and participants in the Camp Out are helping to protect important habitat for native plants and animals.
It was hard to tell exactly how many pines were removed amidst claims of ‘hundreds’ by some individuals who were still in early primary school, but a conservative estimate would be 600 trees.
The Camp Out is a project is jointly organised by the Harcourt Valley Landcare Group, Parks Victoria & Connecting Country with support from the Mount Alexander Shire Council and Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests. This year the Camp Out also received help from Big Tree T-shirts, the Harcourt Lions Club and Hancocks Victorian Plantations.
Well done to everyone involved!
If you have any problems viewing this video, try pausing it and waiting for 15 seconds or so before starting again, closing any other opened browser tabs and windows or viewing it at another time of day when your internet connection could be faster.
2 Nov 2014 – The Natural Soundscape: Birdsong, Music, Evolution and Listening
Posted on 23 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
Click to enlarge.
Andrew Skeoch will be giving a presentation, The Natural Soundscape, at the Newstead Community Hall on Sunday 2 November beginning at 7.30pm. This is a Birdlife Australia event.
Andrew writes: ‘There is a wonderful acoustic diversity to be heard in the natural soundscape – birdsong, frog choruses, seasonal insect choirs… But how have all these varied animal repertoires evolved? What can we learn from studying, or simply listening, to acoustic ecosystems? How may the noise of our modern world be impacting upon this delicate sonic balance, and conversely, how have the songs of nature influenced our own species?’
Andrew explores these questions and presents intriguing conclusions, supported by audio recordings he has made over twenty years, in wild places both locally and around the world.
26 October 2014 – Cactus Control Field Day
Posted on 23 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
The next Cactus Field Day will be on Sunday 26th October at a property at the northern end of Tarrengower School Road. You can get there via Watersons Road. Look for the signs from the intersection of the Maldon-Bridgewater and Watersons Roads. Tarrandower Cactus Control Group (TCCG) has had a great year so far and would like people to come along and help make this a record year in the War on Cactus. The morning’s activities will begin at 10:30 am and end at 12:30 pm with an enjoyable BBQ and friendly chat. If you have any queries please contact Ian on 0412 015 807. Click here to see the flyer which includes a map.
Time to Evaluate
Posted on 21 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
We’ve just finished the 2014 workshop program and it’s time to evaluate!
If you attended any of our sessions during the year (including the public talk by Ian Lunt) we are keen to find out what you thought. And here is an incentive to fill in the short survey: besides helping us to improve the program for next year, you’ll also have the chance for some great rewards, including one lucky person who will receive a two-hour session with an ecologist – who will visit your property for a one-on-one session. Perhaps you need help with identification and developing a plant or bird list, planning a restoration project, or have specific property management questions. Also on offer to randomly selected respondents include a nest box to provide an instant hollow on your property for a Brush-tailed Possum or Sugar Glider and a copy of Leon Costerman’s excellent field guide to eucalypts of south-eastern Australia, ‘Trees of Victoria and Adjoining Areas’.
Go directly to the link here: connecting-country-2014-workshop-program-evaluation. If there are two of you in the same household, you can fill out a second survey from the same computer, just return to the link. Respond before 27 October 2014 to be in the running for one of the incentives.
If you missed out on this year’s workshops, you can still catch up on the summaries here. We’ll be running a similar program in 2015.
10 Nov 2014 – Native Grass Direct Seeding Forum
Posted on 21 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
In the discussion at the recent Connecting Country AGM about the screened Landscape Restoration film one of the film makers, Ian Penna, told the audience of an upcoming direct seeding forum. We now have the details of this forum. It has been organised by Flora Victoria and will take place on 10 November in Keilor which is just over an hours drive from Castlemaine. There will be a range of speakers including Dr Paul Gibson-Roy, head of the Grassy Groundcover Research Project.
The invitation and program for the forum can be found here.
19th Oct – Campbells Creek Landcare Community Day
Posted on 17 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
The Friends of Campbells Creek Landcare Group have invited the local community to their annual Community Day at Campbells Creek Park, opposite Campbells Creek Primary school, Midland Highway. This event is a good opportunity to meet new residents and local families and get to know the secrets of the creek.
Activities on the day (Sunday 19th Oct) include a free fully catered BBQ lunch with delicious salads and their famous fruit punch. Children will be entertained with numerous activities and surprises.
You can join one of the free bus tours which will run through the day, discover interesting locations along the creek and see the results of 14 years of environmental work conducted by the Friends.
The day starts at 10.00am and concludes at 2.00pm. Free BBQ from 12 noon.
They have invited you to bring your family, bring your friends and don’t forget to bring a hat and walking shoes.
Back from the Brink
Posted on 14 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
Which weed is your main bane?
Participants at our sixth workshop session on October 5th 2014 reeled off a lengthy list. The most despaired over were spiny rush, gorse, blackberry, bridal veil creeper, bent grass, crack and basket willows, quaking grass, wheel cactus, capeweed, and all manner of thistles. The list may have lengthened as the day progressed, but at the end of the session we certainly had a greater understanding of their ecology, control and management, if not an overall view of the place of weeds in the restoration story.
Whilst the noisy hot rods and ‘chopped’ vehicles did laps of the nearby Newstead racecourse, our group visited three local sites to look at “before” and “after” weed control sites and heard some of the challenges of working with riparian zones and creek-lines. These sites are usually the most compromised sites, but also the most potential value for biodiversity. Farmer Adrian Sartori and Landcare stalwart Maurie Dynon (Guildford-Upper Loddon Landcare), Pat Radi-Mansbridge (Bushco Land Management), Patrick Kavanagh (Newstead Landcare) and Botanist David Cameron (Arthur Rylah Institute, DEPI) shared their experiences and practical knowledge of weed ecology and management with us.
Thanks to all our presenters, the Sartori family for hosting us at the Strangways site and to Newstead Landcare Group’s Patrick Kavanagh for introducing us to two significant Newstead sites. Also thanks to the Newstead Mens’ Shed who manned the Rotunda park BBQ for us.
To find out more about the session, including a view of the day from participant Deb Wardle, go to the corresponding page in the Education Program, where you will also find resources and images from the day. For more information, contact janet@connectingcountry.org.au or 5472 1594.
This was the last session of the 2014 series. Thanks to all who contributed, either in planning, participating, presenting, assisting and hosting. We will be running the program, in a similar format, again next year.
Local events aplenty for Bird Week
Posted on 10 October, 2014 by Tanya Loos
Bird enthusiasts, from beginners to experienced, are encouraged to get involved in National Bird Week 2014.
This year, BirdLife Australia is holding its first ever Aussie Backyard Bird Count, and there are events locally to attend if you are keen to count some birds! You can also go online to www.aussiebirdcount.org.au to find out more. The Backyard Bird Count involves a twenty minute count from any local patch you like, whether it be your backyard bushland or favourite park. You can count once, or many times. In the spirit of the week, Connecting Country staff will post their observations as the week progresses on our website .
You can enter your observations on the Aussie Bird Count website but if you are a smartphone user you can download the Aussie Backyard Bird Count app.
Kick off bird week with the Bird Man Sean Dooley, editor of BirdLife Magazine, and author of The Big Twitch. Baynton-Sidonia Landcare are hosting Sean’s walk and talk on Sunday 19th October, Interested people are welcome to register for both the Bird Walk and the talk at the Baynton Hall, or for either session, by contacting Barbara on 0458590642 or emailing archiemcleod1@gmail.com by 17th October.
Local ecologist Geoff Park is also giving a talk in Bendigo as part of National Bird Week. It’s on Saturday 18th October (11am- 12.30pm) in the Bendigo Library Reading Room. Click here for details.
The Macedon Ranges Shire also has a bird week event, with a bird forum on the afternoon of Saturday 18th October. See the attached flyer for details (click here).
And Bird Week finishes locally with a bird monitoring outing, led by Connecting Country’s Habitat for Bush Birds coordinator Tanya Loos. The outing will be on Sunday 26th October, the final day of bird week, and we will be visiting properties in the Clydesdale area, specifically looking for the feathered five. All welcome, from beginners to experienced but numbers are limited. To book a place, contact Tanya Loos at tanya@connectingcountry.org.au, or call 5472 1594.
Some background info on the Habitat for Bush Birds project: helping the feathered five
This project is working to restore habitat for five local bush bird species; the Hooded Robin, Painted Button-quail, Jacky Winter, Brown Treecreeper and Diamond Firetail. Over two years, Connecting Country and participating landowners will carry out 300 ha of habitat restoration actions within 11 priority habitat zones. With the community’s help, we will also be scanning the Mount Alexander shire and immediate surrounds for the feathered five; as the more sightings we have, the better able we are to measure our success in helping these plucky yet threatened little birds. More information is available on our website (click here) and some new bird-watching activities will be announced soon. (The Habitat for Bush Birds project is supported by the Victorian Government through Communities for Nature funding.)
Our AGM and other new events
Posted on 9 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
A reminder that Connecting Country’s AGM is being held on Tuesday 14 October 2014 at the Campbell’s Creek Community Centre from 7 pm. A copy of the agenda is available (click here). After the AGM, we will be showing a documentary about Landscape Restoration, and then having a Q&A session with the film-makers and local landholders involved in the film. Followed then by some dessert and drinks, and a chance to catch up with friends and make new ones. Contact Chris if you need further information (chris@connectingcountry.org.au) – or also see our earlier post about this event (click here).
There are also three other new items recently posted on the Connecting Country website that may be of interest:
– ‘Chicks in the Sticks’ event on 30 October – click here
– ‘Picnic in the Sunday Hills’ event on 12 October – click here
– The latest edition of the North Central CMA publication called ‘chat’ – click here
10 and 16 Oct 2014 – Six seasons each year, not four!
Posted on 7 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
Not too long before joining Connecting Country as coordinator of its Habitat for Bush Birds program, Tanya Loos published a book (Daylesford Nature Diary; Six seasons in the foothill forests) which challenged the traditional notion of the four seasons. Some of parts of the book are adapted from her regular nature columns in the Hepburn Advocate. Tanya writes:
Who says the first day of Winter is on June 1? Indigenous people around the world and here in Australia mark the seasons through the weather patterns, and the behaviour of flora and fauna. Inspired by this, I created a six season calendar for the Wombat Forest region.
I will share how I used ten years of nature journal observations to adapt the Yarra Timelines calendar to the Wombat Forest area. If you like the idea of marking the seasons by such things as the arrival of spring migrants, or fabulous fruiting fungi – do come along.
There are two local opportunities in the coming fortnight to hear Tanya speak about her observations and findings, which undoubtedly have broader relevance and interest across central Victoria.
1. The meeting of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club. Friday 10 October 2014 from 7.30pm. In the hall behind the Uniting Church, Lyttleton St, Castlemaine.
2. The meeting of the Newstead Landcare Group. Thursday 16 October 2014 from 8pm. Newstead Community Centre.
Both members are visitors are welcome and encouraged. The field nats event is free, and the Newstead Landcare group requests a gold coin donation to cover costs. Copies of her book will be available for sale.
14 Oct 2014 – Connecting Country Annual General Meeting
Posted on 23 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
Both members and visitors are warmly invited to attend Connecting Country’s Annual General Meeting for 2014. It is to be held from 7pm on Tuesday 14th October 2014 at the Campbells Creek Community Centre (see attached map).
The AGM will be followed by the launch of the 2014-2024 Strategic Plan for Connecting Country (the draft plan is open for comment until Sunday 28th Sept – click here for more info). We will then be screening a recently launched documentary film called Rediscovering the Country – A Journey Into Landscape Restoration (~30 min), which will be followed by the Q & A session with some of the film-makers and interviewees from the film. To finish the evening, there will then be refreshments (drinks and desserts), and an opportunity to mingle and chat with the Connecting Country staff, committee, members and supporters. We hope that you can make it.
For the AGM itself:
* A draft AGM agenda can be viewed by clicking here.
* A committee of management nomination form can be downloaded by clicking here. Nominations must be received by the Secretary at least 7 days before the AGM. If you would like to know more about being a committee member, contact the current Connecting Country president (president@connectingcountry.org.au).
* Contact Naomi if you are unsure if you are currently a member of CC (naomi@connectingcountry.org.au or call 03 5472 1594).
* A proxy voting form is available (click here) for those members who are unable to make it to the AGM – but still wish to contribute their vote if there are any elections
From the makers of Rediscovering the Country – A Journey Into Landscape Restoration (Ballarat Tree Growers and Sheoak Films) – The film is aimed at people interested in landscape rehabilitation through revegetation, and who want to learn more about how such projects can be made successful and deliver desired environmental and social benefits. It presents several community-led revegetation projects in Australia (including Connecting Country) to see how they are working to improve the land, wildlife habitat and human communities. These projects have locally developed objectives, such as returning rare animal species, helping local farmers, linking remnant vegetation, repairing degraded land, and they all were generated out of action by concerned and committed community groups or individuals. The film also shows how community activism in Sri Lanka uses the analogue forestry/regenerative agriculture technique to mimic the original forest structure and return a forest cover that produces food, natural resources and an economic income for small farmers.
To plant, or not to plant?
Posted on 17 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
This was the question posed at our fifth Connecting Country Workshop for 2014, on Sunday September 7th. And the answer? It depends!
Jarrod and Saide talk tubestock techniques
Saide Gray and Gary Gibson hosted the session on their Sandon property, where they have used a mix of tubestock planting, direct seeding and natural regeneration in their revegetation program. Guided by our presenters Damien Cook (Rakali Consulting) and Jarrod Coote (Connecting Country) we were able to examine and discuss each of the approaches.
The session gave participants the opportunity to explore revegetation options at both a property and landscape scale, interpret the findings for their own situations, and pick up some practical tools, tips and techniques for each of the methods.
As Damien highlighted, restoration science is a new area – we’ve only been studying it in depth over recent decades (after spending so much effort removing native vegetation in Australia for the past 200 years or so) and we are constantly learning as we go. But the key to any revegetation program is to observe the natural processes happening on your property and in the surrounding landscape and try to employ them, such as using pioneer or succession species in your plantings.
Thanks to Saide and Gary, Damien and Jarrod for sharing their expertise with the 26 participants from across the Mount Alexander Region, and also Frances Cincotta (Newstead Natives) who provided additional resources.
For more information on the session, including photos, a summary from participant Louis Crabb and follow up resources, go to the Workshop Session Page. For more info on this year’s program, contact janet@connecting country.org.au or 5472 1594.
14 & 15 Oct 2014 – NCCMA Workshop on Pasture Cropping & Grazing Management
Posted on 14 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
The North Central CMA is hosting a two day intensive workshop on Pasture Cropping and Grazing Management, which will take place in Newstead (at the football clubrooms) on 14 & 15 October 2014. An on-farm visit will be included in the workshop.
The workshop will feature industry specialists Colin Seis and Graeme Hand. Graeme Hand was a presenter at a Connecting Country workshop held in Yandoit in 2012. The aim of this workshop is to provide commercial farmers with a ‘how-to of Pasture Cropping and Grazing Management’. Continue Reading »
23 Sept 2014 – School Holiday Landcare Activity
Posted on 12 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
The Barkers Creek Landcare Network has organised a fun family day with games and activities on Barkers Creek during the upcoming school holidays. You can contact Mandy (p:0409866279 or e:mandchilcott@gmail.com) to find out more. Click on the flyer at left to enlarge.
15 Sept 2014 – Update on children’s play about Forest Creek
Posted on 11 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
‘Still Waters‘, is a play about the story of Forest Creek developed by local landcarer Thais Sansom in conjunction with local primary school children. It will be performed NEXT MONDAY, 15th September at 6.30pm at The Capital Theatre, 50 View Street. Bendigo. Some details of this venture were covered in an earlier post.
Tickets ($10 adults, $5 primary age kids) can be purchased at the Capital Theatre, over the phone on 5434 6100 or online .