Tuesday, 30 November 2021
Dear Supporter,
Welcome to our December 2021 eNews.
In this issue we’ve got a summary of our November walk, details of our upcoming December walk at Mount Alexander Regional Park, to be followed by end of year morning tea and nature journaling. And of course you can also test your bird knowledge with the quiz, and meet Bird of the Month!
November Bird Walk Summary – Tullaroop Reservoir, Majorca
Thirty keen birders were pleased to participate in our first bird walk for a few months. Thanks to Jenny Rolland and Euan Moore for leading the walk at Tullaroop Reservoir. Fifty-plus species of birds were seen or heard including Crested Grebe, a White-bellied Sea Eagle, Shelduck with ducklings and a pair of Sacred Kingfishers checking out tree hollows! We were also delighted to be joined by some of our youngest birders.
Photo by Judy Hopley
December Bird Walk & End of Year Celebration – Saturday 4 December – Leanganook Picnic & Camping Ground, Mount Alexander Regional Park
The final BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch bird walk for this year will be held on Saturday 4 December 2021 at the Leanganook Picnic & Camping Ground, Mount Alexander Regional Park. Mount Alexander was first known as leanjanuk by the traditional owners the Dja Dja Wurrung Tribe, whom BirdLife Castlemaine acknowledges. We will walk the Leanganook Camping Ground loop track where the habitat is open with Manna Gums, grassy woodland and scattered wattles. Birds recently seen include Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brown Goshawk, Buff-rumped and Yellow Thornbills, Varied Sitella, Sacred Kingfisher and Scarlet Robin.
We are delighted to have as our walk leader Tanya Loos, a passionate birdo with wonderful knowledge of birds, particularly those of our region.
To celebrate what has been a successful albeit stop start year for BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch, the walk will be followed by morning tea, so please bring some food to share plus your preferred beverage.
Note there are toilets available at the site.
To discover more about Leanganook click here.
PLEASE NOTE – AS PER THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT COVID-19 DIRECTIVES, ONLY PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN FULLY VACCINATED (2 JABS) ARE PERMITTED TO ATTEND FUNCTIONS. TO COMPLY WITH THIS, WE WILL ONLY BE ALLOWING PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO SHOW A VALID PAPER OR ELECTRONIC VACCINATION CERTIFICATE TO ACCOMPANY US, UNLESS YOU ARE AGED 16 OR UNDER OR HAVE A VALID MEDICAL EXEMPTION ISSUED BY A MEDICAL PRACTITIONER. WE WILL BE CHECKING CERTIFICATES AT SIGN IN.
Where: The Leanganook Picnic & Camping Ground is located off Joseph Young Drive in the Mount Alexander Regional Park, Harcourt North. From Castlemaine, head east on the Pyrenees Hwy/Forest St (B180) to Chewton for approx. 5KM. At Chewton turn left onto Golden Point Road and travel 5.3KM to the end, then turn left onto Harmony Way (C794). Drive 450 metres then turn right onto Faraday-Sutton Grange Road. Drive 3.4KM and turn left onto Joseph Young Drive. The site entrance is about 2KM on the left. A BirdLife Castlemaine sign will be at the entrance. GPS: -37.01645, 144.30634.
When: Meet at Leanganook Picnic & Camping Ground at 9:00am.
Bring: Water, snacks, binoculars, sunscreen, hat, sturdy shoes. As it is now snake season, we also strongly recommend that you wear long trousers and closed-in shoes.
More info: Jane Rusden, 0448 900 896, Judy Hopley 0425 768 559 or Bob Dawson 0417 621 691.
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, and/or a Total Fire Ban is declared. Please check your email and our Facebook page the day before the event in case there is a cancellation.
For December’s Nature Journaling we are in for a treat, as lifelong local nature journaler extraordinaire Tanya Loos will be there to guide you. Tanya is a field naturalist who loves writing! She published the book Daylesford Nature Diary: six seasons in the foothill forests in 2013 which was based upon a decade of nature journaling in the Wombat Forest. Since then, Tanya has written features for Cosmos and Australian BirdLife Magazine, and has edited publications and websites such as ABC’s Hoot Detective, Connecting Country’s Healthy Landcapes guide, and Common Birds of the Macedon Ranges for the Macedon Ranges Shire Council.
When and where: Saturday 4 December, at Leanganook Picnic & Camping Ground following the monthly bird walk and morning tea. See item above for location details.
What to bring: Something to sit on, your lunch, drinks, sunscreen, etc. Bring clothing to protect from rain, sun and wind, shoes suitable for uneven ground and binoculars if you need or have them, and most importantly, your creative materials – pen, paper, pencils, paint, camera, or what ever you need to get creative in nature. Guide books could be helpful to identify plants and animals.
Test your bird knowledge in this month’s quiz with the four questions below, then check the answers at the end of this eNews. Big thanks as always to quizmaster Ash Vigus.
Question 1 (Beginner): Multiple Choice
In recent years, which Australian bird species has received the unfortunate nickname “Bin Chicken”? Choose from the four options listed below.
1. White-faced Heron 2. Australian Raven 3. Silver Gull 4. Australian White Ibis
Question 2 (Intermediate): Who am I?
• I’m a small bird approx. 20-23 centimetres in length.
• I’m found throughout most of eastern Australia, ranging from southern South Australia to southeast Queensland, and the east coast of Tasmania.
• I like to inhabit dry open eucalypt woodlands, where I’m usually found in the top canopy, but I’m also found in street trees and suburban parks.
• My diet consists of pollen and nectar from blossoming eucalypts, but I will also eat Lerps and scale insects.
• An incredibly active bird, I’ll often congregate in large noisy conspicuous flocks.
• I have a very swift and direct flight, with quick shallow wingbeats that create a whirring sound.
• My nest consists of a small hollow in a living eucalypt, where I nest on chewed or decayed wood.
• My colours are bright green with a brilliant red cheek and forehead, a slight blue tinge on my crown, and also a prominent yellow patch on each side of my breast.
Question 3 (Advanced): Image Puzzle
The bird photograph below has been scrambled. Using your bird identification skills attempt to unpuzzle the image and identify the species. The unpuzzled image will be available with the solutions at the bottom of this eNews.
Bonus Question 4 (Obscure)
The White-winged Chough is a prominent and well-loved resident of the Castlemaine district. Famous for constructing large bowl-shaped mud nests, the White-winged Chough shares this ability with which other closely related Australian species? Choose from the four options listed below.
1. Australian Magpie 2. Apostlebird 3. Grey Currawong 4. Pied Butcherbird
White-winged Choughs LOVE a bath. The finest dust serves as a dust bath, then it’s off the bird bath in this case, and they generally all try to cram in at once, with varying success. To read more, click here.
Photo of White-winged Choughs: Jane Rusden
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Kind regards,
The BirdLife Castlemaine Committee
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Quiz Answers
Question 1: The Australian White Ibis has received the nickname “Bin Chicken” due to its habit of congregating at tips and landfill sites.
Question 2: Musk Lorikeet.
Question 3: Common Bronzewing (see image below).
Question 4: The Apostlebird. It and the White-winged Chough are the only two members of the family Corcoracidae also known commonly as Australian Mudnester.
Photo of Common Bronzewing: Jane Rusden
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