Tuesday, 26 March 2019
Dear Supporter,
Here is our April eNews – we hope you find it useful.
April Bird Walks
We have two great walks coming up in April.
Saturday 6 April – Coliban Main Channel, Tyquins Road, Taradale
This walk follows the Coliban water channel. With a reliable water supply, plenty of edge habitat and open forest, this track often produces good lists of birds. It is a flat walk mostly, as it follows the contour alongside the water channel. Access is via a stile over the fence. The walk will be led by Damian Kelly, local bird expert, photographer and author of Castlemaine Bird Walks: A guide to walks and birds in the Castlemaine District.
Location and directions: Coliban Main Channel, Tyquins Road. From Taradale take the Old Calder Highway towards Malmsbury. About 1.9km from Taradale turn right into Conlans Road and follow this about 700m to a T-intersection. Turn left here, which is the continuation of Conlans Road, for about 1.2km until you reach Tyquins Road. Turn left into Tyquins Road and continue for about 1.6km until you reach Channel Track on your right. The old Tyquins Cottage is situated here. You can park here or go up the rough track another 150m and park near the gate.
Time: Meet at Tyquins Cottage at 9:00am, or to carpool from Castlemaine meet at 8:30am outside Castlemaine Community House (formerly Continuing Ed), Templeton Street.
Sunday 14 April – Bald Hill Reserve, Kyneton (rescheduled from March)
This is a very special bird walk at Bald Hill Reserve, Kyneton, jointly led by Friends of Bald Hill Reserve and BirdLife Castlemaine District. The Reserve is a very beautiful and special place, with 3 distinct habitat types. The Friends group has achieved so much in helping the public appreciate its significance and, with Carolyn Robb from the Friends group bringing her incredible local knowledge, this is a walk not to be missed. To discover more about Bald Hill Reserve click here.
Location and directions: Bald Hill Reserve, Mount St Mary’s Lane, Kyneton. Approach Mount St Mary’s Lane from the south, off Pipers Creek Street – the Reserve is well signposted on your left.
Time: Meet at Bald Hill Reserve at 9:00am, or to carpool from Castlemaine meet at 8:15am outside Castlemaine Community House (formerly Continuing Ed), Templeton Street.
Important information about walks: Bring water, snacks, binoculars, hat, sunscreen, sturdy shoes, long pants during snake season, and other weather-appropriate gear.
Walks will be cancelled if the temperature is forecast to be 35 degrees or more during the walk period, severe weather warnings are forecast, and/or if the day has been declared a Total Fire Ban.
Questions? If you have questions about our walks program, you can email us at castlemaine@birdlife.org.au, or call Judy Hopley (0425 768 559) or Asha Bannon (0418 428 721).
Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club
Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club meets at 7.30 pm on the second Friday of each month at the Uniting Church Hall, Lyttleton St, Castlemaine. The April and May meetings will focus on birds. All BirdLife Castlemaine District members and supporters are welcome.
On Friday 12 April, Euan Moore will speak about “Tracking Boom and Bust – Bird Surveys around Innamincka”. Since 2011, members of the Friends of Innamincka Reserves have been conducting bird surveys on an almost annual basis in the Innamincka Regional Reserve in South Australia. During that time, we have seen the boom years following the floods from Cyclone Yasi to the intense drought of recent years as well as the impacts of grazing, mining, tourism and weed infestation. The deserts in this area are harsh but beautiful. Permanent waterholes along Cooper Creek provide a drought refuge for wildlife and in the years after flood the Coongie Lakes are magical.
On Friday 10 May, Chris Tzaros will talk about the community efforts to conserve the Turquoise Parrot in the Warby Ranges in NE Victoria. More details will follow in the next eNews.
Notice of Annual General Meeting
The BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch AGM will be held on Saturday 4 May at 2356 Pyrenees Hwy, Muckleford South, at 11:00am for 11:30am. All are welcome and morning tea will be provided.
Please consider nominating for the Committee. Nomination and Proxy voting forms will be emailed two weeks before the meeting.
Follow us on Facebook
We now have a BirdLife Castlemaine District Facebook page. Follow us for all the latest bird news.
Become a Member
Membership of BirdLife Australia is a great way to support a bright future for Australia’s birds. You can find out more about membership or other ways to get involved here.
Kind regards,
The BirdLife Castlemaine Committee
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