Bird of the month: Batman and Robin

Posted on 23 July, 2020 by Ivan

Welcome to our sixth 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’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community. We are lucky to have the talented and charismatic Jane Rusden from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing about our next bird of the month, with assistance from the brilliant Damian Kelly.

Black-faced and White-bellied and Cuckoo-shrikes – aka Batman and Robin

You may have felt and seen the stirrings. The critters in the bush are gearing up for the new breeding season, just as the wattles and Hakea have begun to bloom. A couple of weeks ago I sighted my first White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike since last summer. As I took the time to observe its behaviour and plumage as it moved through the tree canopy, I was reminded about how hard it can be to distinguish White-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes from Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes. Each species has several morphs. This post focuses on the Central Victorian morphs, to avoid getting too complex.

My first source of information is always Damian Kelly. He reported that the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds (HANZAB) prefaced many comments on cuckoo shrikes with ‘not well known’. This I found interesting, as the Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike is a moderately common and widespread partial migrant, even if the White-faced Cuckoo-shrike is uncommon, though widespread and a partial migrant or resident (depending on which book you read). I’d expected more would be known about these two species.

There are many similarities between them. Both species of Cuckoo-shrike display a graceful undulating flight, soft grey and white colours with black markings, and similar size, bill and body shape. The immature birds are especially difficult to distinguish, as is often the case. Both species are often seen as individuals or in pairs. However, occasionally I’ve seen Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes in huge flocks moving through treetops in our local forests, and after the breeding season White-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes can be observed in flocks of up to 12. Often it’s their distinct call which signals their presence.

Let’s look at some of the differences between these two species, and what to look for when identifying them. There are several characteristics that are useful. Their calls differ, the Black-faced having a soft churring call and the White-bellied a sharper sounding ‘quizeek-quizeek’ (see links to calls below). Both species can do a wing shuffle upon landing on a branch, but the Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes shuffles its wings every time and with a very obvious and pronounced movement.

Visually the colouring in adult birds is a little different. The Black-faced is just as its name suggests, its white belly only extends to below its chest and it is a slightly larger bird. In-flight the extended tail and wings appear black. The White-bellied has a more obvious and brighter white belly (although there is a dark morph, further confusing the issue but rarely seen in Central Victoria) and a black stripe from the bill to the dark eye.

The immature birds of both species are very hard to tell apart. Both are soft grey with a full white belly and chest, and both have a black stripe through the eye like the adult White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike. However, the black eye stripe in the Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike runs from the bill and extends past the dark eye.

In conclusion, it’s all very confusing. However, you could say the Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike has a Batman face mask but without the whole hood, and the White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike has an eye mask like Robin. Little superheroes – who’d have thought?

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (photo by Damien Kelly)

White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike (photo by Damien Kelly)

To read more about this wonderful bird on Geoff Park’s ‘Natural Newstead’ blog – click here

To learn more about the dark morph of the White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike – click here

To hear the call of the Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike – click here

To hear the call of the White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike – click here

A big thank you to contributors to this edition of Bird of the Month – Jane Rusden, Damian Kelly and Geoff Park – for their amazing knowledge and advice.

Funding for new Healthy Landscapes project

Posted on 23 July, 2020 by Ivan

Connecting Country has worked hard to secure funding and is pleased to confirm we have a brand new ‘Healthy Landscapes’ project through the Commonwealth government’s Smart Farms program. This project is about helping our local farmers and other landholders to manage their land sustainably for the benefit of wildlife, themselves and the broader landscape. We will develop a Healthy Landscapes guide book, especially targeted to the Mount Alexander region of central Victoria, and deliver a series of educational workshops for landholders on sustainable land management.

The Midland Express newspaper recently took an interest in this project and published an excellent article, including interviews with Bendigo Federal MP Lisa Chesters and Connecting Country’s Ivan Carter. To read the article – click here

Here is an overview of the one-year project, which will kick off in August 2020 with planning of the guidebook and workshops.

Healthy Landscapes guidebook

The guidebook will cover practical topics such as:

• Reading your landscape: Assessing a property to identify natural assets (e.g., remnant vegetation and large old trees), threats (e.g., weeds, overgrazing, erosion), the need for shade and shelter for stock.
• Property planning: Whole-property planning tailored to landholder needs and aspirations, to protect and enhance natural assets, increase farm productivity, reduce threats and build farm resilience.
• Managing soil and water: Identifying soil types, managing soil erosion, building soil carbon, managing farm dams as habitat, fencing waterways and off-stream watering to improve water quality.
• Promoting biodiversity: Fencing remnant vegetation, grazing exclusion, revegetation techniques, selecting revegetation areas and plants to achieve landscape connectivity, enhance remnant vegetation, protect soil and shelter stock.
• Managing threats: Weed and pest animal identification, control methods, integrated pest management, staying ahead of new and emerging weeds using the latest online tools.

On-farm workshops

Three workshops will demonstrate examples of best practice sustainable farm management. Topics will reflect community interest, but may include:

• Integrated weed management and tools to stay ahead of new and emerging weeds.
• Value of native plant and animal assets within the farm ecosystem.
• Shelterbelts for farm productivity and ecosystem health.
• Birds as indicators of farm ecosystem health.

We aim to address the common questions we regularly get from landholders, and make the guidebook and workshops as useful as possible. Please let us know if there are any specific topics you’d like to see covered (email: info@connectingcountry.org.au).

Many landscapes in our region are leading examples of sustainable property management (photo by Jarrod Coote)

Digging those dung beetles

Posted on 21 July, 2020 by Ivan

The dung beetle is one of the natural world’s wonders and the role of this hard-working insect is rarely recognised. We occasionally see dung beetles moving copious amounts of dung when out in the field, but rarely have time to stop and ponder their importance in ecosystem function and soil productivity. Thankfully, there is an expert who has devoted his life to Dung Beetles – Dr Bernard Doube – who recently delivered a presentation on behalf of the North Central Catchment Management Authority.

Dr Doube works for Dung Beetle Solutions International and delivered the presentation to bring us up to date with dung beetle species, the history of introduction to Australia and the benefits to agriculture.  This presentation was delivered in June 2020 with the support of Landcare Victoria and North Central Catchment Management Authority.

Dr Doube is an international expert on dung beetles, earthworms and the biological basis of soil health. He worked with CSIRO for 29 years and was in charge of the CSIRO Dung Beetle Research Unit in Pretoria, South Africa, for seven years. He has published many research articles on dung beetles, earthworms and the biological basis of soil health. He has conducted grant-funded research since 2003 in association with many research partners, including water authorities, federal agencies, universities, Landcare and other landholder groups.

Australia has more than 500 species of native dung beetles and 23 species introduced from Hawaii, Africa and southern Europe. The introduced dung beetles are useful in Australia’s agricultural regions because our native dung beetles evolved with marsupials and are not adapted to use and disperse cattle dung.

Sometimes referred to as ‘nature’s architects’, dung beetles are part of a healthy agricultural landscape and can significantly improve the overall health of your soil. They benefit your property by breaking down organic material, transporting nutrients from the surface to the subsoil, improving water infiltration and reducing runoff.

It has also been concluded that dung beetles also reduce flies and odours by physically removing dung from the soil surface. This also helps to control dung-borne parasites. To learn more about dung beetles – click here

Please enjoy the presentation below, delivered by Dr Doube.

Understanding and restoring your land

Posted on 16 July, 2020 by Ivan

Connecting Country has been operating for over a decade now, and we don’t often have the time to reflect on what we’ve achieved and how we’ve assisted landholders and the community across the Mount Alexander region. We once had a large works crew, but now operate under a more nimble and streamlined model. We are still working hard to monitor our ecological assets, support Landcare, engage through education, and restore the landscape. Our work is often directed by our funding success, but we always aim to provide the latest information landowners and community members need to build their capacity to restore and manage land sustainably.

We often have funding available to assist landholders and other community members with their landscape restoration efforts. Unfortunately we don’t have such funding at present, due to funding cycles and a current lack of grants for environmental projects. However, we do have a wonderful Landscape Restoration Coordinator, Bonnie Humphreys, who is able to answer questions and enquiries from landowners about where to start with landscape restoration. Feel free to contact us via email (info@connectingcountrycountry.org.au) or phone (03 5472 1594) if you have any questions regarding where to start with landscape restoration or how to plan works on your property.

Connecting Country has restored 10,000 hectares of land in our region, which equates to around 6% of the Mount Alexander Shire (photo: Connecting Country)

Thankfully, we also have a brilliant website, with loads of information on understanding your landscape, soils, history and vegetation classification. Before starting any works on your property it is important to have a good understanding of your landscape.

Mapping

Obtaining some good aerial maps and property overlays is a key starting point. Mapping programs are available to help in identifying your soil types, land use, forest cover, vegetation classification and topography. These include:

• imap (North Central Catchment Management Authority)
• Mapshare (Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning)
• Google mapsPreview (opens in a new tab)

Connecting Country website resources

The following links provide resources to help you better understand your property:

Equipment

If you are interested in conducting some flora and fauna monitoring on your property, we can provide some equipment and information guides to assist. Connecting Country has the following equipment that can be borrowed by Landcare groups and other members for flora and fauna monitoring:

• Garmin Etrex 10 hand held GPS units – 7 available
• Motion- sensitive/infrared wildlife cameras (incl. camera, instructions, memory card and batteries) – 8 available
• Bushnell binoculars suitable for birdwatching – 6 available
• The Slater & Gordon Field Guide to Australian Birds – 6 available
• Soil pH test kit – 3 available
• Indigenous Plants of Castlemaine and Surrounds- multiple copies
• Local weed guides – multiple copies

To arrange pick please contact Jacqui via email (jacqui@connectingcountry.org.au) or phone (03 5472 1594).

Getting that frog call checked by experts

Posted on 16 July, 2020 by Frances

All creatures great and small are celebrating the return of water in the landscape this autumn and winter 2020, with some healthy rainfall recorded across the Mount Alexander region in recent months. You may have heard an abundance of frog calls. Even here in the Connecting Country office at the Hub in central Castlemaine VIC, we’ve heard frogs in the adjoining community garden. One of the blessings of living in a healthy landscape is hearing the chorus of frog banter and the sounds of abundance.

We received a timely reminder from our local frog expert Elaine Bayes, of the importance of using the brilliant FrogID App for assisting with the identification of tricky frog calls of our region. FrogID is Australia’s first national citizen science frog identification initiative – a project led by the Australian Museum in partnership with Australia’s leading natural history museums and IBM. Anyone can use the App to create a profile, record frog calls and match your calls to the frog calls on the app, then upload your records to the Australian Museum frog experts for species verification.

One of the reasons to use the FrogID app is to ensure that all frog records are verified prior to entering records into the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), the largest database of flora and fauna records in Australia. Records entered directly in the ALA are not verified, and it was recently discovered that there were some incorrect records of frog species entered in the Mount Alexander region. The ALA contains a number of sightings in our area of Striped Marsh Frog, which was previously rare in this region. However, upon closer assessment by frog experts, they suspect the frog recordings are actually the Spotted Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis), not the Striped Marsh Frog (Limndoynastes peroni). The two calls are similar and easily confused.

This is an important case study of how incorrect identification can potentially affect distribution datasets. This is not the case with the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas, as every record submitted by users is verified for possible errors or mistaken identification.

The frog recordings submitted via the FrogID app are often verified in less than 24 hours, and it is a great resource to improve your skills and learn a lot more about frogs along the journey.

In just one year, FrogID has generated the equivalent of 13% of all frog records collected in Australia over the last 240 years – an amazing effort! The submitted recordings have resulted in over 66,000 validated calls and detected 175 of Australia’s 240 known native frogs.

The data has provided information about:

• Impacts of climate change and pollution on Australia’s frogs including the first evidence of the decline in Sydney of the Australian Green Tree Frog.
• Spread of the invasive Cane Toad.
• Breeding populations of 28 globally threatened and 13 nationally threatened frog species.

To download the FrogID App – click here

Location of all frog records for the first year of FrogID in Australia (image: ALA)

Landcare group health survey: closes 26 July 2020

Posted on 16 July, 2020 by Ivan

We received a request from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) to assist them with an important survey for Landcare groups and members in our region. The survey will give them valuable information to make strategic funding decisions and allocations over the next year, and allow groups and members to provide feedback on their projects, memberships and volunteering activities. Please read on for details of the survey and how to complete it.

The Victorian Landcare Program 2019-20 Group Health Survey is now open and DELWP would love to hear what you have been doing, how you are going and your priorities for the next 12 months. The Group Health Survey provides a snapshot of the health of groups and the contribution of Landcare and environmental volunteering to a healthy environment.

Data collected through the Group Health Surveys is important to help DELWP and the Catchment Management Authorities understand the health of Landcare in Victoria and assists with planning the support provided through the Victorian Landcare Program.

To complete the survey – click here

Please complete by Sunday 26 July 2020. The survey should take about 30 minutes to complete.  You may want to complete it at the next meeting of your group or share it between group members to complete different sections.

Working bee with Ian Higgins from Friends of Campbells Creek (photo: Asha Bannon)

What’s in that nest box? – an update on our monitoring program

Posted on 9 July, 2020 by Jess

Connecting Country’s ten years of nest box monitoring

One way that Connecting Country contributes to nature conservation in the Mount Alexander region is through our nest box monitoring program. We set up this program in 2010 to monitor our favorite hollow-dependent marsupial: the Brush-tailed Phascogale. This adorable little animal has experienced a serious range contraction and decline in numbers across Victoria. However, the Mount Alexander region remains a stronghold for this special critter.

Our 450 nest boxes across the region help us to provide homes where natural nesting hollows are rare. They also allow us to monitor this species population through time and learn more about its habitat requirements, and provide a great opportunity for landholders and volunteers to engage with a rarely-seen animal and learn more about wildlife on their properties. This project has also contributed valuable information to the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas, an Arthur Rylah Institute investigation into nest box use in Victoria, and a PhD project at La Trobe University.

Photo: Jess Lawton

Photo: Jess Lawton

Volunteers monitor Connecting Country’s nest boxes (photo by Theo Mellick-Cooper)

Life in a sharehouse

Our nest boxes are designed for phascogales, but they are also used by sugar gliders. The two species and their nests are easy to tell apart if you can get a really good look at them. Phascogales have a characteristic black brushy tail. They make messy, smelly nests with shredded bark, leaves, feathers, and fur, and leave scats in the nest. Sugar gliders have a rounder muzzle, a gliding membrane, a tapered grey and black tail (often with a white tip), and extra-cute big round eyes. They make neat nests of fresh eucalyptus leaves in a cup shape. Below, we have two phascogales in typical phascogale nests, and two sugar gliders in typical sugar glider nests.

Phascogale in a nest box. Photo by Jess Lawton

Sugar Glider in a nest box. Photo by Jess Lawton

To learn as much as we can about who’s been using a nest box, it’s important to take a really careful look and document what we see. It’s not always simple! Below, we have a sugar glider in a phascogale nest (left), and a phascogale in a sugar glider nest (right).

Phascogale in a nest box! (photo by Jess Lawton)

Checking nest boxes

Our nest boxes are usually installed on trees that don’t already have natural hollows, on tree species that have rough bark (so it’s easier for animals to climb to access the nest box), and face south-south-east so the boxes don’t get too hot in summer. They are usually installed about 3 m high above the ground to help keep our precious native animals safe from predators such as foxes, and keep our nest boxes safe from vandalism.

This brush-tailed phascogale was climbing a grey box tree to get to its Connecting Country nest box. Photo: Jess Lawton (La Trobe University)

However, this also presents some logistical and safety challenges. We’ve always checked out nest boxes by climbing a ladder and carefully opening the lid of the nest box to inspect and photograph contents (without flash). Climbing a ladder brings a safety risk, and we are always looking for ways to make things safer for our staff and volunteers.

Over the last two years we’ve been reviewing our monitoring program as part of our Habitat Health Check project, supported by Helen Macpherson Smith Trust. We’ve done this to ensure our program is robust, and our volunteers are trained and safe. As part of this process we decided to trial a new way of inspecting nest boxes, checking them from the ground using a nest box inspection camera – an endoscope-type camera on the end of a long pole. We wanted to find out if the inspection camera made nest box checks safer and more efficient. We also wanted to test if we got the same results during our nest box checks if we used this new inspection method.

A new way forward?

So, in early 2020, armed with the best nest box inspection camera we could get our hands on, we trialed both survey methods. Asha, Jess, and intrepid volunteers Alex and Trevor, checked 17 nest boxes across two properties in Sutton Grange with both survey methods: an inspection camera, and by climbing a ladder and carefully peeking inside. We divided into two teams and went our separate ways to check the nest boxes, so no-one could guess what was in a nest box by looking at the other team’s excited facial expressions!

Below, you can see what each team saw at three nest boxes with both inspection methods. The inspection camera on the left, and by climbing a ladder and peeking inside on the right.

Sugar glider in phascogale nest

Sugar glider in phascogale nest

Phascogale nest

Phascogale nest. Photo by Jess Lawton

Phascogale scats

Phascogale in a nest box! (photo by Jess Lawton)

Can you guess which nest box inspection method we prefer? The two teams got different results at 5 out of the 17 nest boxes we inspected (that’s 29% of nest boxes!). For one nest box, this was because of different understandings of what the different species nest’s look like, which highlights the need for comprehensive training for all our inspectors. However, the remaining differences in nest box results between the two methods were because it was difficult to get a good enough look inside the nest boxes with an inspection camera. Overall, the ladder inspection method gave us a more accurate picture of what was going on in the nest boxes.

We also learnt that using an inspection camera for our particular type of nest boxes was not necessarily faster because the nest box lids were tricky to open using a pole from the ground. Surprisingly, inspecting nest boxes by climbing a ladder seemed less disruptive to the animals, as it was faster and quieter to open the nest box lid from a ladder.

We don’t want to change monitoring method if this will make our results less accurate. If we change our ability to detect animals, we can’t tell if changes in recorded animals are because of real population changes, or because of a change in our monitoring method. Instead, our plan for the future is to improve our ladder safety procedures, equipment and training for our nest box inspectors. The inspection cameras will still be valuable as a community engagement tool and backup method.

We will closely monitor COVID-19 restrictions with the hope of monitoring our nest boxes again in Autumn 2021. We think seeing a wild phascogale in a nest box is a very special experience. Please contact Jess Lawton if you would like to be added to our volunteer list (jess@connectingcountry.org.au). Volunteers must have a reasonable level of fitness and be comfortable working in the bush. We will need some volunteers to climb ladders (training provided), and some volunteers to carry equipment and take notes with feet planted firmly on the ground.

Connecting Country wishes to acknowledge the invaluable current and past support for our nest box program provided by Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, Wettenhall Environment Trust and Bank Australia. 

Hunting for fungi on Mount Alexander

Posted on 9 July, 2020 by Frances

Make your fencing wildlife friendly

Posted on 8 July, 2020 by Frances

Many of us have had the awful experience of finding a wild animal tangled in a fence. Here is an excellent article from our friends at Newham & District Landcare Group, who do outstanding landscape restoration work in the Macedon Ranges region of Victoria. This article was written by Penny Roberts for the Newham & District Landcare Group news.

Make your fencing wildlife friendly

In Australia, barbed wire is so ubiquitous that most people are hardly aware of its presence.

It forms the boundaries of countless properties, estimated at tens of millions of kilometres, and is the accepted way of keeping sheep and cattle within those boundaries. More than 60% of this fencing has barb wire as the top strand.

However, it is a major hazard to our wildlife, with thousands of native animals becoming entangled on its barbs each year. Nobody really knows the extent or how many, as many are removed by the landholder or eaten by foxes, cats and even birds of prey.

One of our members recently spotted this Sugar Glider caught on barbed wire on a fence. Fortunately, with four hands available, the Glider was safely released and inspection showed it had suffered minimal damage to its membrane.

More than 80% of recorded wildlife entanglement occurs on the top strand of barbed wire fences. We often see kangaroos hung up on wire and mesh fences, legs caught in a twist of wire – a reflection of their numbers in our landscape at present – but more than 70 wildlife species have been identified in Australia as occasional or regular victims of barbed wire fences.

Nocturnal animals are at greatest risk, failing to see fencing or cannot clear the height in windy conditions – Bats, Gliders and Owls most commonly. It may be that the fence is over a food tree or the gliding distance between trees is too great.

Fences close to wetlands may result in insufficient clearance for take-off and landing safely.

Jacky Winter perches on a fence (photo by Kerry Jennings)

Any barb wire presents a risk, however higher risks exist where fences are:

• Newly constructed
• On ridgelines.
• Crossing or surrounding waterways and dams.
• Near feed trees.
• Higher than surrounding vegetation.

Wildlife-friendly fencing:

• Remove any old fencing that has fallen into disrepair.
• Consider whether a fence is really necessary.

Although most property owners would be reluctant to change all of their barbed wire fencing to plain wire, there are some steps they can take to minimise the harm to our animals where fences are necessary:

• Identify the wildlife hotspots: along ridge lines, near feed trees, in wildlife corridors or over
  waterways.
• Run a strand of white electric fence tape above the barbed wire. This flickers in the wind and is
  more visible than the grey wire.
• Replace the top strand of barbed wire with plain wire or cover it with split polypipe.
• Attach old CDs which swivel and reflect the light to make hotspot sections of fence more visible.

Many thanks to Newham and District Landcare Group for sharing this useful information. To learn more about their group and read their news in full – click here

Some little known facts about platypus

Posted on 2 July, 2020 by Ivan

There is so much to love about one of our most unusual mammals, the platypus. They almost appear to be a blend of features from other creatures: notably a duck, a beaver and even a rakali. They are often misunderstood because we so rarely see these beautiful water creatures. Males are venomous, with sharp stingers on the heels of their rear feet that can deliver a toxic blow to any foe.

Based on mark-recapture studies along creeks in Victoria, a platypus home range typically measures 4-11 km (photo: Australian Platypus Conservancy)

The platypus is listed as ‘Near Threatened’ in Australia and on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. For more information and maps of distribution – click here

The Friends of Campbells Creek Landcare Group’s incredible habitat restoration work along Campbells Creek here in central Victoria has improved local conditions for platypus. In late 2019 they worked with the Australian Platypus Conservancy to survey Campbells Creek for platypus and rakali, with results presented at a community workshop in March 2020. The survey identified a number of platypus in Campbells Creek, which was heartening, although results indicated there was not great potential for successful breeding and increase in distribution.

The Australian Platypus Conservancy recently worked with Holbrook Landcare to produce a short video about the platypus and its conservation needs. This video gives a terrific overview of the ecological requirements of this wonderful species and how we can restore our waterways to ensure populations grow into the future. Interestingly, the video notes that foxes are one of the worst predators for the platypus.

The video can be viewed via the image below or on YouTube – click here

For more information about Friends of Campbells Creek Landcare Group and the Platypus project – click here

For more information about the Australian Platypus Conservancy and their survey methods – click here

Mount Alexander Shire reviews local laws on invasive plants and animals

Posted on 2 July, 2020 by Ivan

We received an update from the Tarrangower Cactus Control Group with some exciting developments on the persistent problems of invasive plants and animals in the Mount Alexander region of central Victoria. Many of our readers will be familiar with the frustrations of trying to manage invasive species on a local scale, only to find the issues keep persisting due to a lack of control elsewhere in the landscape. 

To access Connecting Country’s fact sheet aimed at assisting landowners to manage invasive plants and animals – click here

Tarrangower Cactus Control Group asked us to post the following update about the recent review of local laws by Mount Alexander Shire Council.

A large fruiting wheel cactus plant, one of the most destructive invasive species in our region (photo: Tarrangower Cactus Control Group)

Review and draft proposal of Mount Alexander Shire local laws

Over the past couple of years, a review of the Mount Alexander Shire Council’s (MASC) Local Laws has been carried out. During this review process, the Tarrangower Cactus Control Group (TCCG) took the opportunity to express their concerns to MASC of how ineffective and ambiguous the existing law is concerning noxious weed control. TCCG members met with Shire staff and requested greater clarity and priority be given to noxious weed management in the future Local Laws.

The outcome of these discussions has resulted in the creation of a new, specific clause for ‘Control of noxious weeds’ (Clause 19). In the current Local Law (2010) the only mention of noxious weeds is buried, insignificantly, in Local Law No. 3 ‘Environment’, under Clause 12 ‘Dangerous or unsightly land’, in a sub-clause (12.1(f)).

In the new proposed Local Law (2020), Clause 12 has been expanded into three new clauses (17, 18 and 19) to give much greater definition, clarity and interpretation to the environmental issues previously concealed in one clause.

The new, specific Clause 19 ‘Control of noxious weeds’ includes a definition of ‘noxious weeds’ and reference to the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 and the Catchment and Land Protection Regulations 2012. In addition, the penalty has been doubled, from 5 to 10 penalty points.

These changes will hopefully raise the status and significance of noxious weed control in our Shire and reduce the ambiguity that the previous sub-clause created. The new clause will provide the Shire’s Bylaw Officers with a clearer definition of noxious weed management and hopefully result in increased enforcement action with non-compliant property owners.

This new, specific ‘noxious weed’ clause should also be more effective by making it easier for landowners to seek help from MASC Bylaw Officers to enforce weed control action by neighbours, especially absentee owners.

The draft proposed version of the Local Laws is now completed and has been published for community comments. Please take a look at the new version of the Local Law and send in some positive feedback to MASC in support of the amendments. Feedback needs to be submitted before end of July when Council will vote to accept the new version. Log onto the MASC website and go to their ‘Have your say’ page to find the document and link for feedback.

Tarrangower Cactus Control Group

Cats and dogs in public places: survey

Posted on 1 July, 2020 by Ivan

Mount Alexander Shire Council is currently asking the community to complete a survey on a proposed Order of Council for the Control of Dogs and Cats in public spaces. We have been asked to assist with distributing the survey to our audience, so they can get the best data on what the community wants from this proposal. The council aims to develop sensible controls for how dogs and cats are managed within our Shire, under a new Order of Council.

The proposed Order of Council will provide dog and cat owners with a clear understanding of when their pet needs to be placed under effective control. It will also consider the differences between urban and rural parts of the Shire by allowing for variations in less densely populated areas. Following a strong push from the community, a number of local councils are also introducing cat curfews and other initiatives to limit prowling and reduce the number of native animals they kill.

The ABC recently published a news article that summarised research on the shocking impact of feral and pet cats killing billions of animals each year.

Mount Alexander Shire Council provided the following information about the survey.

Cats can be a man’s best friend, but also a wildlife disaster if let to roam free (photo: Brisbane City Council)

Why is Council doing this now?

Experience tells us that the community’s general expectation is that there should be some restrictions placed on dog owners in how they allow their pets to interact with other members of the public. Following a strong push from the community, a number of Councils are also introducing cat curfews and other initiatives to limit prowling and reduce the number of native animals and birds they kill.

Within the community there are those who like dogs and those who do not. Similar feelings apply to cats. Council’s responsibility is to develop laws that balance community views and do not unreasonably favour or disadvantage an individual or group.

The proposed Order of Council would support Council’s broader objective of increasing responsible pet ownership by taking a proactive approach to the task of controlling dogs and cats in public places. What these controls look like, and how they operate, will be informed by community feedback.

Council is currently undertaking a review of the control of dogs and cats in a public place and has developed a survey to help review this process.

Please click here to complete the survey. 

We would greatly appreciate your feedback and please feel free to distribute this to any colleagues or members so that they can have a chance to develop controls which best suit our community. There are no trick questions or wrong answers just select any of the options that you think should be included. All Mount Alexander Shire residents are encouraged to have their say. I have attached an electronic copy should anyone prefer this over the survey.

Regards
Jeffry Amy  |  Coordinator Community Safety and Amenity |  Mount Alexander Shire Council
t  (03) 5471 1764  |  m  0429 599 249  |  www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au
Civic Centre  |  Corner Lyttleton and Lloyd Streets  |  PO Box 185  |  Castlemaine Victoria 3450

Living with lizards

Posted on 25 June, 2020 by Ivan

We recently received an excited email from a local landowner who had discovered a water skink in their garden. They were wondering if Connecting Country had any ideas on improving the habitat potential of their garden, and what tips we would suggest to ensure reptiles have a place to call home. It is always a pleasure to see wildlife in your garden, and there are some tried and tested measures to improve your garden and help our local wildlife. The landowner asked particularly about installing some kind of water feature, that may ensure reptiles have access to water over the warmer and drier months.

After some discussion between staff in our virtual office, we thought it timely to publish a few ideas for attracting and sustaining reptiles in our gardens, and creating safe places for our marveled but often misunderstood reptiles. Here are our top five suggestions to attract skinks and other reptiles that you can try in your garden, plus some useful resources that provide further information and actions to consider.

Top tips for a reptile-friendly garden

1. Leaf litter and branches: To provide habitat for reptiles, it helps to leave leaf litter, mulch, fallen branches and rocks around your garden. This will attract insects for them to eat and provide places for them to shelter and sun themselves on, plus places to hide from predators such as birds and cats.
2. No pesticides: It’s best to avoid using pesticides, as poisoned insects could be eaten by skinks and other reptiles.
3. Shelter: As well as rocks, old bricks and roof tiles can provide places for reptiles to shelter and warm up in the sun.
4. Water: Bonnie (our Landscape Restoration Coordinator) suggests installing a shallow water dish with rough edges or rocks so that skinks can climb in and out, with shelter or cover close by and possibly with a water plant such as Water-milfoil (Myriophyllum crispatum) in it to keep water cooler. A pond is a good way to increase biodiversity in your garden.
5. Vegetation: Planting low growing tussocks and berry-producing plants such as Grey tussock-grass (Poa sieberiana), Silver tussock-grass (Poa labillardieri) or Kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra) and also something like Australian saltbush (Atriplex semibaccata) or Climbing saltbush (Einadia nutans). Skinks also like foliage and flowers, including Austral stork’s bill (Pelargonium austral), Cut-Leafed Daisy (Brachyscome mulitfida), or try indigenous herby or daisy species.

A firm favorite but not so local, this Bearded Dragon visited Muckleford for our snake and reptile workshop (photo by Frances Howe)

There are many excellent guides and booklets on wildlife-friendly gardening, but one of our favorites for reptiles is the ‘Backyard Buddies’ guide on creating a lizard- friendly garden. It provides many useful actions to implement at your place, but also things to avoid if you are keen on reptiles enjoying your garden. It lists plants some that are beneficial and important for the reptiles in our region. Click here to view the backyard buddies webpage.

Identifying the many varied and beautiful reptiles can be challenging. Connecting Country has published an excellent brochure on how to identify the numerous reptiles and frogs in our region. Click here to view the brochure or email us to arrange the purchase of a hard-copy printed version for a gold coin donation.

One of our favorite videos was aired on ABC’s Gardening Australia a few months ago, and features how to create a habitat corridor and refuge for reptiles. This habitat corridor is absolutely teeming with life, thanks to the native plantings that attract and sustain wildlife, including birds, bees, butterflies and insects. The video shows landowners how to construct a ‘lizard lounge’ – a lizard friendly location with shelter, basking rocks and plants. Click here to watch the video and get productive in your garden.

Bird of the month: Black Falcon and Brown Falcon

Posted on 25 June, 2020 by Ivan

Welcome to our fifith 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’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community. We are lucky to have the talented and charismatic Jane Rusden from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing about our next bird of the month, with assistance from the brilliant Damian Kelly and Geoff Park, and photographs from Ash Vigus. 

Black Falcon (Falco subniger) and Brown Falcon (Falco berigora) comparison

Ash Vigus (local bird enthusiast) took some stunning photos of Black Falcons this month, so here’s a bit of a comparison between this raptor and its cousin, the Brown Falcon. In Central Victoria Brown Falcons are relatively common, whereas Black Falcons are relatively rare, but both species are quite hard to tell apart.

As usual on this blog, I have been assisted by local writer, photographer and bird expert, Damian Kelly. He had this to say:

‘A few thoughts on the Black Falcon, it is a nomadic species that prefers the drier inland. However, it can be seen at places as diverse as the Moolort Plains and the Western Treatment Plant near Werribee. Being an opportunist, it likes places with easy pickings as it is the pirate of the raptors – aggressively chasing down other raptors with prey and snatching it from them. Hence the Western Treatment Plant with lots of prey, including Brown Quail and plenty of other raptors such as Brown Falcons and Black-shouldered Kites, which it tries to pirate. Sometimes referred to as the bully of the raptor world, it has long, sharply pointed wings and flies rapidly – quite a sight! I have seen them following cattle and sheep as they flush up prey such as Pipits and they will hang out around areas with quail. I have also seen them along Rodborough Road (Moolort), a place where mobs of Brown Quail can be seen near clumps of taller grasses. Around this area, Moolort and the road to Clunes are likely spots. Further afield the Western Treatment Plant in near Werribee, is the place to see them.’

Brown Falcon – pale morph, with its pale chest, more upright stance and tail a similar length to its wings (photo by Ash Vigus)

Newstead local, prowler of the Moolort Plains, blogger and bird expert, Ecologist Geoff Park has sound advice on Black Falcons and how to distinguish them from Brown Falcons. He says the flight pattern of the two species is quite distinct, with the Brown Falcon appearing sluggish whereas the Black Falcon is more like a Peregrine Falcon – very fast. When perched the Black Falcon appears to be crouched, with a distinct long tail extending past the wings, unlike Brown Falcons whose tails are shorter. Also the Black Falcon has a dark chest, unlike the Brown Falcon.

To confuse the issue, Brown falcons come in three different morphs – pale, intermediate and dark – making it confusing when looking at a Black Falcon. However, the flight pattern, perched stance, tail length and chest colour will give you a nice identification tool kit. For further information on Black and Brown Falcons (or any birds local to Newstead) check out Geoff Park’s fascinating blog, Natural Newstead. Or take a drive on the Moolort Plains west of Newstead in central Victoria, and have a look for various raptor species, including Brown Falcons, and if you’re lucky, Black Falcons.

Black Falcon in its typically crouched perch and long tail, on the Moolort Plains (photo by Ash Vigus)

A big thank you to contributors to this edition of Bird of the Month – Jane Rusden, Damian Kelly and Geoff Park – for their amazing knowledge and advice, and to Ash Vigus for his gorgeous photos.

For more information about these birds and to listen to the call of a Black or Brown Falcon – click here

Citizen science projects you can get involved in right now

Posted on 25 June, 2020 by Ivan

The rise and rise of citizen science projects across our region has been heartwarming over the past decade. The passion shown by the Mount Alexander community has been outstanding, with Connecting Country recruiting many skilled and dedicated volunteers to conduct ecological monitoring that collects vital information about the state of our wildlife and environment. In recent years we’ve adapted Connecting Country’s ecological monitoring programs to be directed and delivered by a team of dedicated volunteers, coordinated and supported by a paid staff member. We celebrate our much-loved citizen scientists wherever possible.

Connecting Country’s monitoring projects are only a few of the hundreds of citizen science projects across the nation. Many of these keep important research going and improve the knowledge pool in sectors that cannot attract funding.

We came across an excellent summary of the numerous and varied citizen science projects across the nation, listed on the Australian Broadcasting Commission website. As the article suggests, the recent COVID-19 restrictions have resulted in many people reporting feelings of moderate to high levels of anxiety and depression during this period of uncertainty. The article explains that in a survey of more than 54,000 people last year, more than three-quarters of Australians thought that spending more time in nature would make us happier.

Connecting Country aims to connect our community with the landscape and build their capacity to manage the land sustainably. We feel that our citizen science projects enable the community to be part of caring for our landscape and environment. Our projects can enable people to feel a little hope about reversing ecosystem degradation and be part of the solution at a local scale, while contributing to the larger picture.

Please enjoy a selection of photos from our various citizen science projects and events over the past decade.

photo by Gen Kay

photo by Connecting Country

Photo: Connecting Country

photo by Connecting Country

photo by Connecting Country

photo by Gen Kay

photo by Connecting Country

Photo: Connecting Country

photo by Connecting Country

photo by Connecting Country

photo by Gen Kay

prev

next

The ABC article summarises some impressive projects that are currently up and running working wonders across our nation. The Australian Citizen Science Association (ACSA) has a project finder that currently lists 513 citizen science projects right across Australia that you can get involved in. This is a great way to see what is happening in your local area, or to find a specific topic or cause that may interest you as a volunteer.

To access the full ABC article – click here

And the winners are…..woodland birds photography competition 2020

Posted on 18 June, 2020 by Ivan

Connecting Country would like to extend a huge thank you to our community for the fantastic entries into our 2020 woodland birds photography competition. We received a very high number of quality entries for this competition, far more than we expected.

The theme was woodland birds and the competition was open to all Connecting Country members and the broader Mount Alexander region community. The aim of the competition was to highlight our special woodland bird community and share the passion and skills of our passionate local photographers, as well as produce a beautifully printed calendar for 2021.

The judging panel have completed reviewing all the entries and awarded 13 winners to feature in Connecting Country’s 2021 woodland birds calendar – one for the front cover of the calendar, and one bird for each month of the year. Please enjoy the winning photographs below, including the talented photographer behind each image.

The 2021 calendar will be available to purchase in the coming months, so stay tuned and don’t purchase a new calendar quite yet!

Please email us at info@connectingcountry.org.au if you’d like a copy put aside for you.

Photo: Albert Wright

Photo: Albert Wright

Photo: Patrick Kavanagh

Photo: Barbara Went

Photo: Peter Boekel

Photo: Ash Vigus

Photo: Ash Vigus

Photo: Patrick Kavanagh

Photo: Jane Rusden

Photo: Damian Kelly

Photo: Noel Ruedin

Photo: Jodie Heap

Photo: Mick Evans

Confirm your support for Connecting Country’s work

Posted on 18 June, 2020 by Frances

A huge thank you to our many amazing supporters have been generously donating via our online service as we approach the end of the financial year. Now is a great time to make a financial contribution to Connecting Country’s work if you can. Donating is easy – just use our secure online service (click here) or download our form if you’d prefer cheque or cash (click here).

All donations to Connecting Country are tax-deductible. We appreciate all your support, whether large or small.

Thanks also to all our supporters for being part of the Connecting Country community in 2020, joining our shared vision for landscape restoration across the Mount Alexander region. The valuable work we do couldn’t happen without people like you – volunteering time to help with wildlife monitoring, joining our education events, participating in our on-ground projects, giving financial help or just being a member.

We know we have a demonstrated track record of ten years of successful landscape restoration and great plans for the future. However, in the current situation, it’s extremely difficult to secure funding for on-ground environmental projects. Now the COVID-19 pandemic has caused our government and many philanthropic organisations freeze or delay grant opportunities.

We are determined to survive, and maintain our core capacity and current projects until new project funding arrives. However, we need help to maintain the strong foundations essential to our success as a community-driven organisation and keep us focused on long-term plans. With enough support, the coming year will see us continue to help landholders with on-ground actions, prepare for climate change, maintain our long-term monitoring, and deliver events that inform, educate and inspire.

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 very lean operation and our small team of part-time staff attracts voluntary support that ensures every dollar goes a long way.

As a Connecting Country supporter, you’ve already contributed to some amazing successes. Since beginning in 2007 we have:

• Restored over 9,500 ha of habitat across the Mount Alexander region.
• Delivered more than 200 successful community education events.
• Secured funding to deliver more than 50 landscape restoration projects.
• Supported a thriving network of 30 Landcare and Friends groups.

Thanks again for your support for Connecting Country. Making our vision a reality is only possible with strong community support. Please enjoy this gallery snapshot of some of our 2019-20 activities.

2020 tubestock ready for planting (photo by Jacqui Slingo)

February 2020 Landcare Link-up. Photo: Jacqui Slingo

Camp out on the Mount 2019 (photo by Heather Barrett)

Sweet Bursaria festival 2019 (photo by Ivan Carter)

Eltham Copper Butterfly walk 2019 (photo by Frances Howe)

Tim Low talk in Newstead 2019 (photo by Connecting Country)

Volunteers help at a Connecting Country workshop (photo by Gen Kay)

Intrepid Landcare retreat 2019 (photo by Megan Rowlatt)

Camp out on the Mount 2019 (photo by Leonie van Eyk)

Welcome to Country at Yapenya 2019 (photo by Asha Bannon)

Andrew Skeoch presentation 2019 (photo by Gen Kay)

Volunteer celebration 2019 (photo by Frances Howe)

Inquiry into ecosystems decline in Victoria

Posted on 11 June, 2020 by Frances

The Mount Alexander region of central Victoria has a long history of disturbance. Since the 1800s our local ecosystems have experienced gold mining, timber cutting, clearing, contamination, weeds, pest animals, changes in fire and water regimes, and a changing climate. As observant people we are all too aware of examples of ongoing decline of our local ecosystems. Here is an opportunity to contribute to a new public inquiry into ecosystems decline in Victoria.

Volunteers working to reverse the decline of our local ecosystems (photo by Gen Kay)

The Environment and Planning Committee of the Victorian Parliament is conducting an Inquiry into ecosystems decline in Victoria. The inquiry will look at measures to restore habitats and populations of threatened and endangered species.

The Inquiry’s Terms of Reference include:

• the extent of the decline of Victoria’s biodiversity and the likely impact on people and ecosystems
• the adequacy of the legislative framework protecting Victoria’s environment and ecosystems, particularly in the context of climate change impacts
• the adequacy and effectiveness of government programs
• opportunities to restore the environment while upholding First Peoples’ connection to Country.

Submissions: close 31 July 2020

How to make a submission: go to Inquiry website

Connecting Country office still closed for June 2020

Posted on 9 June, 2020 by Frances

Here at Connecting Country we take our social and safety responsibility seriously. While there are landscapes, ecosystems and people needing our help, we continue to operate and support our community. However, we’ve had to adapt our work to reduce COVID-19 infection risks.

Golden Wattle in winter (photo by Frances Howe)

In the interests of health and safety, our staff and volunteers continue to work from home as much as possible. We have no plans to reopen the Connecting Country office at this stage. The government has given a clear direction for every Victorian who is able to work from home to continue to do so. It appears this restriction will remain to at least to the end of June 2020.

Although our office at the Hub is temporarily closed, we’re still hard at work, and you can still contact us via email or phone. If there’s no answer on the office phone, please leave a message and we’ll get back to you within a few days. Please be patient as we don’t check phone messages every day.

When we do need to visit the Connecting Country office and depot, we only do so with appropriate safety measures in place. If you need to visit us in person, please contact us to arrange a meeting before coming, as the Hub building and depot are locked.

Thanks for your understanding and we’ll keep you informed of any further developments. We appreciate your support in helping keep our community and environment healthy!

You can contact Connecting Country via email on info@connectingcountry.org.au or call the office on (03) 5472 1594.

In the meantime, please enjoy one of our favorite videos below, produced by the talented crew at Remember the Wild.

Need advice on controlling Gorse? VGT extension in Sutton Grange

Posted on 9 June, 2020 by Jacqui

Please see the invitation below to landowners in the Sutton Grange area from the Victorian Gorse Taskforce (VGT).  For enquiries, or to register your interest, please contact Brydie Murrihy from the VGT on the details below. 

The Victorian Gorse Taskforce (VGT) will be delivering a community-wide extension services program in the Sutton Grange area this June/July 2020. Households may register their interest by contacting Brydie Murrihy by email or phone (see below for details).

Extension Service
The VGT Extension Officer, Brydie Murrihy, will conduct a property assessment either alone or assisted by the landowner and will provide professional best practice management advice tailored to the property. The landowner will receive extension material and information on any support or assistance that may be available to them, a property map detailing location of gorse plants, a detailed weed management plan and follow up phone calls and/or visits with landholders if required.

This program is a free service and the property inspections will be scheduled to suit the participants involved.

Gorse (Ulex europaeus) is a Regionally Controlled Weed in the most parts of Victoria. It is a threat to native plants and animals and is best controlled early and consistently as part of an integrated approach. Photo: VGT

Application
If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Brydie or the VGT via the VGT website or social platforms (Facebook & Instagram).

To set-up an inspection: Brydie Murrihy 0428 335 705 or email bmurrihy@cva.org.au.

There are limited spots so get in quick!

Social distancing rules will apply.