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BirdLife Castlemaine District eNews August 2024

Tuesday, 30 July 2024

  • Estimated reading time 10 minutes

Welcome to Castlemaine District eNews!

Dear Supporter,

Welcome to our August 2024 eNews!

This month’s issue includes details of our upcoming August walk and a wrap-up of our July walks. We’ve also got a little preview of the Feathery Festival in September (which we’re very excited about), updates on the planned visit to the Western Treatment Plant and our October weekend camp.

And there’s more – find out how to get involved with the Great Southern Bioblitz 2024, read about a local award winner, meet Bird of the Month, and as always, don’t forget to test your bird knowledge with the Quiz!

August Bird Walk – Saturday 3 August – Cave Gully Walk, Guildford

We are delighted to announce that our next BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch bird walk will be held on Saturday 3 August at Cave Gully Walk, Guildford.

Guildford is a typical rural village and ex-gold mining town. The walk will head off from the Guilford Cemetery, passing through various different habitats. Species seen last year include Wedge-tailed Eagle, Red-browed Finch, Musk Lorikeet, Dusky Woodswallow, Scarlet Robin, Black-faced and White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike and various Honeyeaters, Thornbills, etc. Your walk leader will be Bill Sampson.

ALL WELCOME!

Please note there are no toilets at the site, but there are public toilets in Guildford.

Where: Guildford Cemetery carpark, Turner Street, Guildford. From Castlemaine, take the Midland Highway toward Daylesford, travel for approx. 11 KM then once at Guildford turn left onto Turner Street (opposite the John Powell Reserve). Drive 1 KM to the end of Turner Street and you will arrive at the carpark. (Note: Turner Street becomes gravel after about 150 mtrs from the Highway; do not follow the bitumen as that is Franklin Street.)

GPS: -37.15783, 144.17046.

When: Meet at the Guildford Cemetery Carpark at 9:00am.

Bring / wear: Water, snacks, binoculars, sunscreen, hat, long trousers, sturdy closed-in shoes.

More info: Jane Rusden 0448 900 896, or Bob Dawson 0419 621 691.

Acknowledgment of Country

BirdLife Castlemaine acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands we will walk, the Dja Dja Wurrung people, and we pay our respects to their Elders past and present. We recognise and are grateful for the immense contribution of Indigenous people to the knowledge and conservation of Australia’s birds.

Information Regarding Weather

Please note that walks will be cancelled if severe weather warnings are in place, persistent rain is forecast, the temperature is forecast to be 35C or above during the walk period, a Total Fire Ban is declared, or some other safety issue is identified. Please check our Facebook page or email castlemaine@birdlife.org.au the day before the event in case there is a cancellation.

Nature Journaling with BirdLife Castlemaine District

Nature journaling is taking a break for August due to the cold weather and will resume in September. Jane is keeping warm in the cafe with help from tea and cake.

Tea in the Cafe by Jane Rusden.

Reminder – Weekend Bird Camp, 18-20 October

Just a reminder that we are having our our 2024 Bird Camp at the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park in northern Victoria. For those of you who do not know the Park, it is one of Victoria’s premier birding spots with over 200 species listed as having been seen in the area, including endangered and threatened species such as Regent Honeyeater, Swift Parrot, Turquoise Parrot and Square-tailed Kite. At this time of year, many species of birds arrive at the Park or pass through on their way south.

The final details are still being worked out, so keep an eye on this eNews and our Facebook page. We’ll also be directly in touch with people who have registered interest.

There are some camping areas in the Park, but facilities are very limited so we will maybe look to base ourselves at the caravan park in Chiltern (Lake Anderson Caravan Park) which has powered and unpowered sites plus various different types of cabins. We understand the caravan park is very busy that weekend, so if you are keen to stay there we’d recommend contacting them soon. You will of course be able to stay wherever you like as we will meet at the specific locations each morning; details will be supplied before the event. There are a number of accommodation types offered in the area.

As usual we suggest driving up on the Friday to get settled in if you can. There will be walks organised for Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and afternoon and Sunday morning. If enough people are interested, we may look at doing a night walk on Saturday night. A communal dinner will also be arranged for the Friday night at a hotel or restaurant in Chiltern.

For more information regarding the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, click here:
https://vnpa.org.au/parks/chiltern-mt-pilot-national-park/
https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/Chiltern-Mt-Pilot-National-Park

For those interested in the camp, please advise Bob Dawson, preferably by email at bobadawson@hotmail.com or if unable to email, by phone/text 0417 621 691, so that you can be given the details as they become available.

Photo of Turquoise Parrot at Chiltern by Bob Dawson.

July Walks Wrap-up

We held two walks in July. The first was our usual first Saturday event which took place at Malmsbury Botanic Gardens on a cold and frosty morning. The list of birds seen or heard is here.

We also held another midweek walk, this time along the Forest Creek Trail in Happy Valley near Castlemaine. The local Landcare group has done a lot of work planting along the Trail and this provides excellent habitat for birds. Twenty-three species were seen or heard.

Big thanks to Bob Dawson for leading both walks.

Bird of the Month – Grey Currawong

A majestic bird, with a somewhat earned fierce reputation. I guess that’s what happens when you snack on cute little chicks!

Read more here.

Update on Western Treatment Plant Visit

In the July eNews, we said that the proposed trip to the Western Treatment Plant for 18 September was unlikely to happen due to the requirement for a permit holder in each vehicle.

The good news is we now have enough permit holders to go ahead, so if you wish to attend, please let Bob Dawson know as soon as possible via email to to bobadawson@hotmail.com. We will be limiting the total to 20 people including the 4 permit holders so acceptance will be on a first come, first served basis.

Final details will be advised directly to the final participants, but it is likely to involve car pooling from Castlemaine, leaving at 8:00am and arriving back to Castlemaine at around 5:00pm. It is about a 2-hour drive to the Plant from Castlemaine so we will have about 5 hours there.

Please note you will have to bring your lunch and all drinks as there are no shops near the area we are going, nor is drinking water available. There is a toilet at the Paradise Road entrance and we should be able to call there a couple of times during the day.

Feathery Festival – September 2024

We are very excited to announce the upcoming Feathery Festival, which will take place in September 2024 in partnership with Connecting Country and Barkers Creek Landcare and Wildlife Group. The Festival includes a film event at the Theatre Royal on Thursday 5 September, and a special bird walk with a catered brunch on Saturday 7 September. Rumour has it there may even be some rather nice promotional merch on sale!

We’ll be sending out a special Festival issue of eNews with all the details in mid-August, so keep an eye out.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Tavish Bloom, the winner of the Junior Landcare Award 2023-2024!

Tav is a highly valued member of BirdLife Castlemaine District. His knowledge of the local environment and in particular its birds is outstanding. A worthy Landcare award winner!

Great Southern Bioblitz 2024

From 20 to 23 September, citizen scientists from across the Southern Hemisphere will be using iNaturalist to participate in the Great Southern Bioblitz 2024. Photographs and audio recordings are submitted to document all wild life forms – plants, animals, fungi – across regional areas.

Hosted by Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club (CFNC), the Castlemaine Region for the Bioblitz covers a very similar area to the Castlemaine BirdLife branch. CFNC would love for you to join in recording as many species of bird and other life-forms as possible.

There were 85 species of birds identified in our Castlemaine Region during the 4 days of last year’s Bioblitz. Read about previous years’ results and how to take part here, with more details to be added soon.

Photo of Galah by Chris Timewell

Know Your Birds Quiz

Test your bird knowledge in this month’s quiz with the questions below, then check the answers at the end of this eNews. Big thanks as always to quizmaster Ash Vigus.

Question 1 (Easy): Multiple Choice

Which Thornbill species is not found in Victoria? Choose from the list of six below.

1. Brown Thornbill
2. Buff-rumped Thornbill
3. Yellow-rumped Thornbill
4. Slaty-backed Thornbill
5. Striated Thornbill
6. Inland Thornbill

Question 2 (Intermediate): Spot the Feathers

All four bird species pictured below are found in the Castlemaine district; what do you think these four birds are?

Question 3 (Advanced): Who Am I?

• I’m a smaller bird, approximately 20 to 22 centimetres in length.
• My preferred habitat is dry eucalypt forests and woodlands, with a well-developed understorey, but I can also be found in a range of heath, shrubland and scrub habitats.
• My diet consists mostly of insects, but also nectar, fruit, manna, lerp, and honeydew.
• I like to forage under strips of bark or in crevices, mainly of eucalypts, and will also feed at wounds on tree trunks.
• I like to build my nest close to the ground in shrubs or low trees, making a deep, thick-walled, open cup, lined with the fur or hair of mammals.
• I’m usually seen in pairs or small family groups, and I can be quite noisy and conspicuous.
• My colours are mostly olive-green above with lighter green underparts, with a grey cap, a black face and bib.
• I have a strong slightly down-curved black bill and a prominent white ear patch.

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Become a Member

Membership of BirdLife Australia is a great way to support a bright future for Australia’s birds – and it would also make a perfect gift for a bird-lover! Learn more about membership or other ways to get involved here.

Kind regards,

The BirdLife Castlemaine Committee

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Walks Calendar July – December 2024 (please note this now includes some additional Wednesday walks)

Saturday 6 July
Leader:
Bob Dawson
Location: Malmsbury Botanic Gardens and Viaduct WalkWednesday 17 July
Leader:
Bob Dawson
Location: Forest Creek Trail, Happy Valley
Saturday 3 August
Leader:
Bill Sampson
Location: Cave Gully Walk, GuildfordSaturday 7 September
Leaders:
Jane Rusden, Frances Howe, Bob Dawson
Location: Rise & Shine Reserve, Clydesdale + Feathery Festival Brunch

Wednesday 18 September
Leader: Bob Dawson
Location: Western Treatment Plant (limited numbers)

Saturday 5 October
Leaders:
Gary and Judy Smith
Location: Castlemaine – Maldon Railway Trail, Walmer18-20 October – Birding Weekend
Location: Chiltern-Mt Pilot National ParkSaturday 2 November
Leaders: Nina Tsilikas and Giles Daubeney
Location: Shepherds FlatWednesday 20 November
Leader: TBA
Location: TBA

Saturday 7 December
Leaders: Rosemary and Peter Turner
Location: Harcourt Reservoir – followed by end-of-year morning tea

Quiz Answers

Question 1: Slaty-backed Thornbill, found in parts of outback Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory.

Question 2: Clockwise from top left – White-naped Honeyeater, White-plumed Honeyeater, Striated Pardalote, White-eared Honeyeater.

Question 3: White-eared Honeyeater.

BirdLife Australia, BirdLife Victoria Group, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC 3053  | castlemaine@birdlife.org.au