13 Oct 2017 – Travels across Australia with Robyn Davidson

Posted on 10 October, 2017 by Connecting Country

The guest speaker at the October 2017 meeting of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club is Robyn Davidson, who will talk about aspects of her travels in Australia.

Robyn’s first book, ‘Tracks’, an account of her journey alone across Australia, with only camels and a small dog for company,  won several awards, and has been published in twenty languages. Since the book’s publication in 1980, it has never been out of print.  Robyn has been travelling ever since, and has written extensively on many topics.  In 2013, ‘Tracks’ was adapted into a major releases Australian film starring Mia Wasikowska and Adam Driver (click here).

The presentation is from 7.30pm on Friday 13th October in the normal location – the Fellowship Room behind the Uniting Church on Lyttleton St (next door to the Castlemaine Art Gallery).  Visitors of all ages are welcome, and entry is free.  RSVPs not required.

Barkers Creek bush delights in Nature News – October 3rd 2017

Posted on 4 October, 2017 by Tanya Loos

For this month’s Nature News, local landholder and member of Barkers Creek Wildlife Landcare and Wildlife Group, Lois Denham writes about the joys of getting to know the bushland on her block, and how to care for it. This article was featured on page 38 of the Midland Express, October 3rd 2017.

One of the many joys of living in the bush is observing the wildlife. Today we enjoyed watching the male blue wrens chasing females in and out of the golden wattles. Last week we saw scarlet robins, and we have been amused by the querulous, chattering choughs drinking from our bird bath.

Our soundscape includes the faint soprano sounds of the bats at night and the continuous croaking of the many frogs in our dam. We have learnt to identify some birds by their calls, but not many of the frogs!  We are delighted by the kangaroos and the resident wallaby hopping through the bush; the lizard scurrying around or sunbaking on the rocks and then there is the thrill of discovering an echidna or two. No need for pets here!

A tiny Caledenia sp, by Bonnie Humphreys

My husband and I retired to live on eight acres of Box Ironbark bushland block 19 months ago. We had no desire to own much land but this block and its lovely mudbrick house and studio ‘found’ us.  A friend, who is a local and an active Landcare member, informed us it was a good bush block even though it had been turned upside down by miners in the gold rush days.  He also noticed that there weren’t too many weeds we would have to control. With our friend’s encouragement, we bought the property and joined Landcare with the knowledge that there would be help available to manage  and continue the rehabilitation of the land.

We knew we would be on a steep but enjoyable learning curve. With the help of Landcare members, Connecting Country’s Bonnie Humphreys, and some professional assistance we learnt to identify the native plants and weeds. Our newly acquired weed management skills haver resulted in fewer invasive species and more natives on the property than were here when we moved in.

We were fortunate that there was good rain and a bumper wildflower season last spring. This year the wattles have put on a magnificent show, and I am enjoying watching many other wildflowers come into bloom.  I will always remember the joy of discovering the tiny ground orchids as they emerged and I thought I had struck gold when I found our first spider orchid. I wonder how many orchids I will find this spring?

Spring at Pilchers Bridge event – Sat 7 October 2017

Posted on 2 October, 2017 by Tanya Loos

The Axe Creek Landcare Group would like people to know of their upcoming event “Spring at Pilchers Bridge”, a jam-packed program of expert speakers on the flora, fauna and management of Box-Ironbark forests.  The program includes:

• A bird identification walk around the Trust for Nature covenanted property, Led by  Salli Dearricott, followed by a quick pancake breakfast
• A video on Indigenous Burning techniques presented by Trent Nelson, Parks Victoria and  Mick Bourke, DELWP
• Orchids of the Box-Ironbark Forests by  Julie Radford-Whitfield, Amaryllis Environmental
• Bushfire Preparedness by a representative from the CFA
• Wildlife, Habitat, and Nestboxes by  Miles Geldard, Wildlife Nestboxes
• Flowering patterns of local Eucalypts by Bob McDonald, apiarist.

They have also asked us to let you know the following:

• Lunch can be purchased from the Eppalock Primary School Sausage Sizzle.
• Bring your own binoculars, sturdy shoes, camera and water bottle
• Free entry, pancake breakfast, tea coffee and sunscreen
• All welcome but no dogs please

 Saturday  7 October.       
8am to 4pm  at 178 Huddle Creek Rd, Myrtle Creek  

Enquiries: Chris Kirwan phone 5439 6494
Email: cwkirwan@bigpond.com

For a flier of the event, click here.

8 Sept 2017 – Banksia ecology presentation

Posted on 5 September, 2017 by Connecting Country

The guest speaker at the September meeting of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club (CFNC) is Simon Heyes.  Simon  is currently studying for his Masters in Research at La Trobe on Banksia recruitment. He is looking at why banksias aren’t regenerating, and is also researching the ecology patterns of recruitment for Banksia marginata on the plains.

The presentation is from 7.30pm on Friday 8 September in the Fellowship Room, behind the Uniting Church on Lyttleton St (next door to the Castlemaine Art Gallery).  Members and visitors are all welcome, and there is no cost for entry.

To whet your appetite for Simon’s presentation, the following link is to an article written by Ian Lunt in 2014 about Banksia marginata (CLICK HERE).  The comments and discussion at the end of the article are also quite interesting.

A European bee visits a fine specimen of Banksia marginata in flower. Pic from Wikimedia Commons.

Local groups and volunteers honoured at the Victorian Landcare Awards 2017

Posted on 4 September, 2017 by Connecting Country

Environmental groups from the Mount Alexander Shire dominated the 2017 Victorian Landcare Awards ceremony at Government House last Friday, the 1st September 2017. Connecting Country was awarded the Landcare Network Award, and the Tarrangower Cactus Control Group was awarded the Fairfax Media Landcare Community Groups Award.

Individuals were also recognised for their voluntary work; Ian Higgins, from Friends of Campbells Creek won the Australian Government Individual Landcarer award, and Ian Grenda was Highly Commended in this category.

Around 350 Landcarers from around the state gathered at Government House, with a jubilant group of 16 from the Mount Alexander region. The Landcare Awards are an opportunity to showcase people and projects that are contributing to sustainable agriculture and the protection of Victoria’s environment.

This year’s awards received significant interest from right across the state, with 85 nominations submitted across the 14 categories. Also nominated from this region were Asha Bannon for the Young Landcarer Award; and Chewton Primary and Winters Flat Primary for the Junior Landcare Team Award.

These awards are a strong testament to the energy and enthusiasm of the Mount Alexander Shire community for our natural environment. Mount  Alexander Shire is incredibly fortunate to have such an active network of Landcare groups, schools and individuals working together with passion and a focus on landscape scale restoration. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners at the Landcare Awards this year.

CLICK HERE to read all of the winners’ stories from across the state.

Here are a few shots from the exciting day:

Now is the best time to try out Landcare!

Posted on 31 August, 2017 by Asha

Tanya on a walk with some excited ‘nature detectives’ at the 2017 Camp Out on the Mount

Landcare Week is coming up next week: September 4th – 10th 2017. It’s the perfect time to get outside, get your hands dirty, and connect with other community members. We have over 30 groups in the Mount Alexander region alone, so it’s easy to find an event or working bee that’s near you and suits your interests.

Landcare and Friends groups are always looking for extra hands to help and are keen to share their knowledge of our beautiful local plants and animals. During September, there are more than eleven events being run by Landcare groups, including nature walks to learn from experts and soak up the bush, and working bees to develop some hands-on skills and help improve habitat for native species.

CLICK HERE to visit our page with information about all of the Landcare events happening in the Mount Alexander region in September 2017.

Wetland Ecology and Training Courses: October 2017 – March 2018

Posted on 31 August, 2017 by Connecting Country

Registrations are now open for Rakali’s popular wetland courses commencing October 2017 through to March 2018. The courses are presented by SERA 2016 award winning ecologist Damien Cook and Elaine Bayes. Don’t hold off as the NEW courses may be a once off depending on level of attendance and it’s the last time the Wetland Plant ID will be held in the North Central region of Victoria. Click on the following headings to find out more:

NEW: THE WONDERFUL WETLAND ECOLOGY BUS TOUR, 12 & 13 OCT 2017

Join us on a bus tour through some of northern Victoria’s most ecologically diverse wetlands that will be looking their best because of recent rainfall and flooding. Learn how ecological drivers determine wetland ecology.  Dixie Patton, Barapa Traditional Owner will share knowledge on aboriginal uses of these amazing wetlands.  Other land managers will meet us along the way.

NEW: WETLAND RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT, 16 & 17 NOV 2017

Learn about wetland restoration and management over 2 days with Damien Cook by visiting ‘Waterways’; a SERA 2016 award-winning wetland restoration project which he was involved in planning and implementing, followed by the 200 hectares of coastal park at the Victorian Desalination Plant, Wonthaggi.  Learn more about these projects here.

WETLAND PLANT IDENTIFICATION DAYS, STARTS OCT 2017 – MAR 2018

Learn to identify the most common wetland plants. In order to manage or restore a wetland you first have to thoroughly understand it.  Wetland plant species, condition and placement within a wetland can inform you as to what is going on. You can choose 1, 2 or all 3 days – Each day is timed to follow the wetting and drying of the stunning Reedy Lagoon at Gunbower Island or nearby wetlands so each plant guild can be seen in their splendor.

• Day One:  Sedges, Grasses and Rushes
• Day 2:      Aquatic Plants
• Day 3:      Mudflat specialists.

Click here for more information and to REGISTER. Alternatively contact Elaine Bayes at  Rakali Consulting 0431 959 085 or email elaine@rakali.com.au. Each course can be done as an individual unit or as a complete package (ask Elaine about discounts).

Click here to read some articles on the importance of understanding wetland ecology and using plant knowledge for effective wetland management.

20 Million Trees Connects Woodland Bird Habitat

Posted on 30 August, 2017 by Asha

The Green Army helped with planting at Baringhup Landcare’s Loddon River site

Four Landcare groups, six sites, and over 6300 plants! Over the past 18 months Baringhup, Harcourt Valley, Sutton Grange, and McKenzie’s Hill Landcare groups have been working hard on a landscape-scale revegetation project funded through the Federal Government’s 20 Million Trees Programme. With the help of community volunteers, the Green Army team, and local contractors, the Landcare groups have revegetated private and public land across the region creating and connecting important habitat for our threatened woodland birds.

The photopoints below are taken from the same location at one of Baringhup Landcare’s 20 Million Trees sites along the Loddon River. The first was taken before planting in 2016, the second after planting in 2017. As you can see in the second photo, the revegetated plants are thriving at this site! Birds in abundance were already enjoying the new habitat on the sunny day it was taken.

JUNE 2016 – Baringhup Landcare’s Loddon River site

Planting along Baringhup Landcare’s Loddon River site (photo by Asha Bannon)

Well done to all the Landcare groups involved in this project and this amazing achievement.

This project was supported by the 20 Million Trees Programme, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.

31 August 2017 – The Genius of Birds

Posted on 24 August, 2017 by Connecting Country

On Thursday 31 August 2017, the Castlemaine Library is hosting a presentation by American science writer and New York Times bestseller Jennifer Ackerman.  Jennifer will talk about her latest book, The Genius of Birds, which explores the latest international scientific research on our feathered friends.  Once you have seen Jennifer’s presentation, no doubt you will consider ‘bird brain’ to be phrase used as a great compliment!

The presentation commences at 5.30pm.  Entry is free, but bookings are required (click here for link to the booking website).  The library has let us know that there are a small number of openings still available.

Jennifer Ackerman has been writing about science, nature, and health for more than 25 years. Her work aims to explain and interpret science for a lay audience and to explore the riddle of humanity’s place in the natural world, blending scientific knowledge with imaginative vision. She has won numerous awards and fellowships.  There is further information about Jennifer on her website (click here).

Local wildlife sound recordist Andrew Skeoch is a huge advocate for Jennifer’s book and the research that she has compiled.  CC staff member Chris is reading it at the moment – and is also fascinated by the findings.

New Map of Wheel Cactus in Victoria

Posted on 22 August, 2017 by Asha

The Tarrangower Cactus Control Group (TCCG) has recently completed a project aimed at increasing awareness and knowledge about the noxious weed Wheel Cactus (Opuntia robusta), funded by Wettenhall Environment Trust. One of the valuable outcomes from this project is the construction a new map showing the distribution of Wheel Cactus infestations in Victoria. 

Our well-known former Landcare Facilitator, Max Schlachter, was employed as project officer by TCCG and has collated 345 recorded sites of Wheel Cactus within our state. These sites covered 105 different localities around Victoria, mostly in a band from the northwest to Melbourne, but including some surprising outliers elsewhere. The majority of the sites (69%) were new records, and the rest were existing records taken from current government maps, such as the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas.

Some alarming conclusions from this mapping exercise were that within some of these localities, for example ‘Maldon’, there are too many infestations to record, plus there are very likely many infestations that were not able to be captured. The information gathered through this project will help communities and land managers better understand how Wheel Cactus spreads and how best to manage it.

If you want to know more about Wheel Cactus and how to control it,  you can go along to TCCG’s next Community Field Day on Sunday 27^th August, CLICK HERE for more details.

Connecting Country’s “gonna be in a movie”!

Posted on 21 August, 2017 by Tanya Loos

On Monday, 14 August 2017, we were thrilled to spend a day with Chris and Michael, two members of the Wild Melbourne team, as they shot footage for a video about Connecting Country. Just five organisations from around Victoria were selected to be featured in their “Community Conservationists” series. As Wild Melbourne says:

“We’ll be telling the stories of five different community groups that are working hard to contribute to the conservation of Victoria’s plants, animals and ecosystems. We’ll film a short video that tells your story authentically, and highlights and celebrates what you have achieved for conservation in your area”

The Wild Melbourne team were particularly interested in the story of woodland bird conservation – both from the perspective of Connecting Country, and participating landholders. Their questions were thoughtful and considered, and obviously aimed at attracting a broad audience to the benefits and advantages of biodiversity conservation.

Chris from Wild Melbourne films Bonnie undertaking direct seeding.

Our first stop was in Campbells Creek, at the amazing bushland property of landholders Jane Rusden and Martin Tatton. The Golden Wattles were in full flower and birdsong filled the bushland around us.

Our next stop was to visit and interview Marie Jones, our much loved founder and committee member of Connecting Country. Asha and I were then interviewed next to the stunning Forest Creek which has been revegetated and weeded by Golden Point Landcare.

After the time spent in Chewton, Tanya and the crew went to the property of landholder Cullen Gunn, whose property has been direct seeded by Connecting Country a number of times over the past years.

The team have already filmed Jarrod and Bonnie undertaking direct seeding work, and at the National Tree Day planting with the Friends of Campbells Creek. So we would like to say a huge thanks for everyone for being involved.

Chris and Michael were patient and enjoyable to work with (as we were quite nervous!) and  we are really looking forward to seeing the finished film! We hope to have the Connecting Country movie ready for our Annual General meeting in October.

The Community Conservationists filming project has been made possible due to a grant from The Wettenhall Environment Trust.

Cullen is interviewed in front of a row of wattles and other understorey species that are flourishing as a result of a Connecting Country project three years ago.

Flora of Castlemaine and surrounds – the online guide is launched!

Posted on 9 August, 2017 by Connecting Country

On 1st August 2017, the online edition of the Wild Plants of the Castlemaine District was formally launched.  This comprehensive guide contains details on the identification, locations, preferred habitats and history of hundreds of native and introduced plant species found in Castlemaine and surrounding areas.  It can be viewed at the following stand-alone website location – https://www.castlemaineflora.org.au.

In November 2016, local natural historian – Ern Perkins – sadly passed away.  Ern’s passion for the understanding the intricacies of natural environment was matched by his passion for sharing his knowledge with others.  A few months before his passing, he first launched this compendium of local plant species as a freely available resource via USB memory sticks.  Ern had developed this guide based on information that he and others had collected and compiled over more than 40 years.  With the support of Ern’s family since his passing, the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club has worked with a local IT graphics firm to make this guide available as an online resource, allowing it to reach a much wider audience.  Financial contributions and other support towards this important project has also been provided by the Friends of the Box Ironbark Forests (FOBIF) and Connecting Country.  Each of these organisations will have a link to this flora guide from their websites.  A permanent link to it has been established from the Connecting Country website here.

It is intended to be a dynamic website, with updates made over time in response to taxonomic changes, new photographs and new findings.  Landholders, Landcarers, students and many other people from the Mount Alexander Shire and beyond will appreciate this valuable and easy-to-use resource.

12 Aug 2017 – Cultural morning at Castlemaine parkrun

Posted on 8 August, 2017 by Connecting Country

Connecting Country’s blogs have rarely – if ever – addressed sports-related events.  However, this weekend’s Castlemaine Parkrun is an exception, as they are holding a special cultural-awareness event, and they are inviting everyone from the local community and beyond to join in.

Parkrun is an not-for-profit organisation that supports volunteers to host free timed 5km events each week at locations throughout the world, to be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities – from walkers to experienced runners, children to retirees, and everyone in between.   It is not a race, but a chance for people to improve their health in a local parkland setting with a friendly supportive atmosphere.

There has been a weekly parkrun held in Castlemaine for more than 2 years, early every Saturday morning at the botanic gardens.  It starts and finishes just near the BBQ and playground area.  Connecting Country’s Co-Director, Chris, is a regular attendee.

As described on their Facebook page, this special parkrun event at Castlemaine will commence on Saturday 12 August at 7:45am and will include both a welcome and a smoking ceremony by representatives from the local aboriginal community.  At 8am, the standard 5km event will occur – 3 laps of the botanic gardens at your own pace. (If on leads, dogs are also always allowed on the walk).  There will then be cultural activities after the run at 9am, as well as food and drink from the Myrnong Mammas.  Attendees are encouraged to get in the spirit of the day by wearing Red/Yellow/Black.

All community members (runners, walkers, onlookers) are invited to what should be a great morning.

As noted above, parkrun is a free event.  First time participants are encouraged to register beforehand, but it is not compulsory to do so (more details on the Castlemaine parkrun homepage – click here).

Pint-sized carnivore devours a Grey Fantail

Posted on 7 August, 2017 by Tanya Loos

We love it when Connecting Country landholders send in photographs of interesting flora and fauna observations. In April 2017, Tamsin Byrne sent us an astonishing series of photos of a Yellow-footed Antechinus hunting and eating a Grey Fantail at their bird bath. Tamsin and her family live on a beautiful Trust for Nature property in Sedgwick.

For those new to the Antechinus – they are small carnivorous marsupials related to Brush-tailed Phascogales or Tuan, Eastern Quolls, Tasmanian Devils – comprising a group know as the Dasyurids. Most are nocturnal, but the Yellow-footed Antechinus is actually diurnal, and so observed by landholders and birdwatchers during the day. Geoff Park has taken some wonderful portraits of these endearing mammals on his blog Natural Newstead; CLICK HERE. With their golden colour, round ears, sweet little paws, and confiding nature, the antechinus are very sweet and well-liked by all.

However! Appearances can be deceptive, and they are actually a top level predator! Large arthropods such as centipedes, insects, eggs and nestlings are commonly listed as prey items – but now we must also add adult birds to that list. Tamsin added some great captions to the photographs – please click on each photo with your mouse to go through each photo in the set. Many thanks to Tamsin for this exciting series of photos of nature “red in tooth in claw”!

North Central Chat – August edition

Posted on 7 August, 2017 by Tanya Loos

The North Central Chat August edition is here! Asha’s Landcare event “Meet your Land Manager” features in this month’s edition – and the results of the Landcare Group Health Survey. The August edition is available to download here.

Another  highlight in this edition is the 2017 Chicks in the Sticks event, to be held on Walkers Lake in the Avon Plains on Sunday 10 September.

“Are you inspired by opportunity and the stories of others? Keen to meet like-minded women who share a connection to agriculture and the environment? Pull on your gumboots, don your favourite frock and add your own native flora accessory…it’s time for the fifth Chicks in the Sticks event, hosted by North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) in partnership with Project Platypus.”

All the details are in the Chat and here is your link to register: https://2017chicksinthesticks.eventbrite.com.au

11 August 2017 – Talk on central Victorian orchids

Posted on 6 August, 2017 by Connecting Country

The guest speaker at the August meeting of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club is Emily Noble, a self–confessed ‘orchid nut’  Her presentation, titled ‘Orchids in the Bush’ will be about some of central Victoria’s terrestrial orchids, and will be accompanied by her beautiful photographs of them.

Emily is a professional horticulturalist, the business manager of the Ballarat Environment Network, and secretary of the Ballarat Field Naturalists Club. She and her husband are building a stone home for themselves on a 16 hectare bush block south west of Ballarat. She described the process of caring for the orchids there in her first–prize winning essay: Orchid Conservation at Home. This won the inaugural essay competition of the Australian Orchid Foundation in 2012. She has now, by 2017, identified forty–nine different species of terrestrial orchid on their block.  The essay can be perused on the Australian Orchid Foundation website, under Essay Prize or go directly to the following link (CLICK HERE).

The evening commences at 7.30pm on Friday 11 August 2017 in the Fellowship Room, which located behind the Uniting Church on Lyttleton St in Castlemaine (next door to Castlemaine Art Gallery building).   Members and visitors of all ages are welcome.  There is no entry fee.

For those inspired by Emily’s talk, there will be an excursion the next day led by club members Richard Piesse and George Broadway into the local forests and woodlands.  The excursion departs on the Saturday from the Octopus building car-park at 1.30pm sharp (opposite the Castle Motel).  BYO afternoon tea.  Car-pooling available.

Connecting Country Reconnects

Posted on 4 August, 2017 by Connecting Country

Many people in the local community have seen that Connecting Country are currently advertising for a new Director, and have wondered what is happening.  There have been some significant changes in the various environmental restoration projects that we are undertaking.  While this includes some new projects that will take the organisation into the future, there needs to be some staff changes to reflect their differing scope and size.

Current co-directors, Chris Timewell and Krista Patterson-Majoor, have been working with Connecting Country’s Committee of Management to develop a new structure over the past twelve months.  This has resulted in a newly defined director’s role which is currently being advertised (CLICK HERE).  Other staff roles will continue to support local Landcare groups, coordinate education and engagement activities, monitor biodiversity and provide assistance to landholders to implement habitat restoration and environmental enhancement on their properties.  As part of this, we will be working on some exciting new projects which are already underway including collaborations with organisations and agencies such as the North Central CMA, Parks Victoria, the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, Coliban Water, the Wettenhall Environment Trust, Victorian National Parks Association, Trust for Nature and our local Landcare groups. These will keep our staff and volunteers busy for the next two years at least!

Chris says, ‘Connecting Country is in a healthy and stable position – a great launching pad for its next phase.  With all of the wonderful support of the staff, committee, members and other supporters, its future remains very bright’.

Krista adds, ‘It’s been an incredible opportunity working here over the past eight years and we are very proud of what Connecting Country has achieved, but we feel the time is right for someone new to take the reins.  No doubt we will both stay involved with the organisation to some extent into the future’.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank long-term staff member Naomi, who is taking a break to concentrate on her health and family. Naomi starting volunteering with Connecting Country in 2010 and joined the staff team in 2012. Most recently, Naomi has been coordinating our education program, publicity, and assisting with Connecting Country’s strategic development and future funding proposals. She has been an enthusiastic and committed member of the team and we want to wish her all the best.

Applications are being received for the new director role until the close of business (5pm) on 7 August 2017. CLICK HERE to view details about the role.

Street Moss – a photography exhibition of our urban mosses

Posted on 31 July, 2017 by Tanya Loos

Street Moss is the subject of an exhibition of photos by Bronwyn Silver and Bernard Slattery that has just opened at Falkner Gallery, 35 Templeton Street, Castlemaine. The  show runs from 20 July to 3 September 2017 and the gallery is open each week between 11 am and 4 pm, Thursday to Sunday.

Bronwyn and Bernard are well placed to present a photography exhibition on moss, as both contributed to the very popular Guide to Mosses of Dry Forests in Eastern Australia which was published in 2014.  More recently, Bronwyn and Bernard, along with Ern Perkins, co-wrote Eucalypts of the Mount Alexander Region. These books are both fantastic achievements and contribute considerably to the understanding and appreciation of nature in our region.

Below are some words from Bernard to introduce the fabulous photos of “Street Moss”…

Moss never sleeps

The paved streets of our towns and cities are imperfect coverings of a nature always ready to stage a comeback. We’re all familiar with scenes of deserted settlements rapidly growing over with weeds, streets cracked by emerging shrubs and trees. But even bustling towns actively cleaned by teams of usually underpaid workers show signs that humanity is really just holding nature at bay.

The margins of manholes, the gaps between gutter paving stones, the shady neglected corners of industrial sites, all harbour active plant colonies ever ready to expand and undo the work of the bitumen and concrete industries.

The vanguards of these saboteurs of neatness and order are usually moss species. They can bide their time in the town’s narrowest cracks for implausibly long periods of dusty sterility, to flourish suddenly with the first shower of rain. Modest, apparently fragile, improbably beautiful: given time, they could bring down the cloud capped towers of the industrial world!

 And they’re great to look at, too.

Street moss grid by Bronwyn Silver

and another beautiful photo…

Parker Street 3. by Bernard Slattery, 2017

New Reptile and Frog Brochure Available

Posted on 28 July, 2017 by Asha

Connecting Country’s newest brochure, Reptiles and Frogs of the Mount Alexander Region, is now out in the world! CLICK HERE or on the picture to download a pdf copy. You can grab a hard copy of this brochure by dropping by our offices, or by contacting asha@connectingcountry.org.au. Our local Landcare groups will also soon have copies available to share. 

The brochure includes beautiful photos of 8 frogs and 30 reptile species found in the Mount Alexander Region, plus tips for landholders on how you can help our local reptiles and frogs. Some of these tips include creating and improving habitat on your property and on public land by:

• Creating ground-level shelter and food sources by ensuring there are plenty of logs, sticks, rocks, and leaf litter around
• Helping degraded land regenerate by planting indigenous species, excluding grazing, and controlling noxious weeds
• Protecting intact native woodlands and grasslands
• Keeping predators such as foxes, cats, and dogs under control
• Joining your local Landcare or Friends group
• Creating a ‘frog bog’ or retrofitting a dam to provide frog habitat
• Refraining from using herbicides and pesticides when rainfall is predicted, and minimising or avoiding their use near wetlands and waterways

Connecting Country’s Reptile and Frog Monitoring Program is being undertaken with the support of the Ian Potter Foundation.

Wombat numbers on the rise

Posted on 21 July, 2017 by Tanya Loos

Wombats thrive in Western Victoria: Staff member Tanya Loos, who lives 7km north of Daylesford,  shares a story about our burgeoning wombat population.

Coming home from work a week or two ago, I was just a couple of kilometres from my house. The car in front of me slowed to a stop. A medium sized mammal with a distinctly square bum ambled in front of their car and disappeared into the dark forest.
A wombat! A Common Wombat – also known as the Bare-nosed Wombat – in Porcupine Ridge! There are plenty of Wombats around Trentham, Glenlyon, and throughout the Wombat Forest, but in 15 years of living in Porcupine Ridge I had accepted the fact that while we have koalas, the wombats didn’t occur this far north. However, it seems the fortunes of wombats in western Victoria are changing!
In early 2016, a wombat caused quite a stir as it was photographed in the Gunbower forest, literally hundreds of kilometres from the nearest population. Peter Menkhorst, from the Arthur Rylah Institute was contacted to comment and he stated “The most westerly population of wombats on the Great Dividing Range is around Trentham and Daylesford, where the Campaspe begins”. He believed the wombat may have been an orphan pouch young that was released far from where it was rescued. Read the article in the Bendigo Advertiser here.

A healthy wombat, photographed by Connecting Country’s wildlife cameras at his or her burrow in Sutton Grange.  (Ignore the date on the photos – it was taken in 2014)

After seeing my Porky Ridge wombat, I searched online and found a fantastic website called WomSAT. This website is an initiative of the University of Western Sydney, and encourages people Australia-wide to record their wombat sightings. The map is really is easy to use, and enables you to note down whether the wombat was dead or alive, and if it suffered from mange. You can also record burrows. The WomSAT website can be accessed here.

On this map, there were at least eight sightings of living wombats between Bendigo and Daylesford from 2015- 2016, in Harcourt, south of Bendigo in Sedgwick and a big concentration in the Baynton area to the east.

I had a chat with my Connecting Country work colleagues Bonnie and Jarrod who have been documenting an increase in wombat sightings all through the Harcourt and especially Sutton Grange area – one property had a network of burrows with 50-60 entrances!

The same wombat having a little scratch

So what is going on?! My Mammals of Victoria book, also by Peter Menkhorst, states that wombat distribution on a local level is ‘probably most dependent on the availability of suitable burrow sites in association with food supply’.  The wombats do not like very dense forest, but any open habitat seems to do – with habitats ranging from alpine heathland, to wet forests, dry forests and coastal scrub and tea tree heath. Most of the burrows noted by Bonnie and Jarrod have been on creeklines which are tributaries of the Coliban River, and surrounded by open forest or woodland.

Wombats were declared vermin in 1906, and there was a bounty on them from 1925 – 1966. This put the already diminishing western Victorian populations on an even deeper downward spiral and they disappeared from the volcanic plains and indeed, anywhere north of the Great Dividing Range.

Anecdotally, the recent increase in wombat numbers has been noticed after the Redesdale fires in early 2009, part of the devastating Black Saturday fires. The fires may have caused a dispersal of the wombats into previously unoccupied territory.

So if you are in open forest along a creekline north of Daylesford and south of Bendigo, keep an eye out, a wombat family could be your new neighbours!

If you are logging sightings on WomSAT or sending us in a sighting on our Special-Species-Sightings-Sheet-2017, make a note whether the Wombat is healthy or not. Sarcoptic mange is a hideous parasite that Wombats catch from foxes. The mites cause the most severe mange affected skin and swelling around the eyes – and the wombat gets very sick indeed, and eventually dies. More information on wombat mange can be found here. Happily,  wombat lovers and advocates have discovered that they can add a pesticide ointment to a flap on an affected wombat’s burrow and this treatment saves the wombat without it having to be captured and taken to a shelter.