December Bird Walk & Morning Tea – Saturday 7 December – Barkers Creek Reservoir, Harcourt North

Our next BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch bird walk will be held on Saturday 7 December at Barkers Creek Reservoir, Harcourt North.

The habitat is typical lake/riverside Red-gum Forest with many mature trees. Recent sightings include Black-tailed Native Hen, Black-fronted Dotterel, Sacred Kingfisher, Australian Reed Warbler, Australasian Darter, Great Crested Grebe, Peregrine Falcon and Olive-backed Oriole, along with a number of other waterbirds, various Honeyeaters, Pardalotes and Thornbills. Our walk leaders are Rosemary and Peter Turner.

Thanks again to all the people that have assisted with and taken part in our walks this year, especially the walk leaders. Without you we would not continue to have such successful and enjoyable walks. To help celebrate this, the walk will be followed by our end of year morning tea, so please bring some food to share plus your preferred beverage and a chair if you wish.

ALL WELCOME!

Please note there are toilets at the site.

Where: We will meet at the Barkers Creek Reservoir car park, Harcourt North. From Castlemaine take Barker St/Midland Highway (A300) north. Drive around 8KM and cross the Calder Freeway; the road becomes Victoria Rd. Drive about 1KM to the end of Victoria Rd and turn left into Harmony Way, then drive about 400 mtrs and turn right into Market St. Drive approx. 1.4KM and turn left into Reservoir Rd. Go to the end of Reservoir Rd, just over 3KM and turn left into McIvor Rd. The car park for the Reservoir is about 600 mtrs on the right.

GPS: -36.96869, 144.27513.

When: Meet at the Barkers Creek Reservoir car park at 9:00am.

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

More info: Jane Rusden 0448 900 896, Bob Dawson 0417 621 691

https://coliban.com.au/about-us/our-reservoirs/barkers-creek-reservoir

https://www.goldfieldsguide.com.au/explore-location/324/barkers-creek-reservoir/

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.

Important 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

Glenluce Spring near Vaughan is a gorgeous spot on the Loddon River with plenty of shade and woodland birds. Eastern Yellow Robins, Crimson Rosellas and even Painted Button-quail have been found here.

What to bring / wear:

– Wear long sleeve shirt and long trousers, sunhat, sturdy shoes, and snake protection. Please note, we will be on rough tracks and uneven ground.

– A small selection of art materials such as paints, pencils, pens, coloured pencils, pastels, paper, water container if applicable, camera or phone and binoculars if you have them. A bag to put it all in.

– Something to sit on, such as a camp chair or rug.

– Water and snacks.

– Your sense of curiosity.

When and where: Sunday 1 December from 9:30am – 11:30am. Glenluce Spring, Drummond-Vaughan Rd, Vaughan.

Glenluce Spring is signposted off the northern end of Drummond-Vaughan Rd.

GPS: -37.1642926, 144.2294357

Male Superb Fairy-wren, watercolour by Jane Rusden.

November Walks Wrap-up

We held two great walks in November. The first was our usual Saturday monthly walk, this time at Argyle Springs in Hepburn Regional Park, where 36 species of birds were seen or heard on a glorious morning. The full list can be found here.

Many thanks to Nina Tsilikas and Giles Daubeney for leading the walk.

Our second November walk was a midweek event at Garfield Water Wheel, Chewton, again with glorious weather, and 25 species being seen or heard. The full list can be found here.

Many thanks to Jane Rusden for leading the walk.

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

What is Australia’s largest species of Parrot or Cockatoo? Choose from the list of six below.

1. King Parrot
2. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
3. Eclectus Parrot
4. Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
5. Palm Cockatoo
6. Pink Cockatoo

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 medium sized bird, approximately 30 to 35 centimetres in length.
• I’m found in a variety of habitats that include forests, open woodlands, and scrublands, as well as parks, gardens and orchards.
• My diet consists mostly of insects and other small invertebrates, but I will also eat some fruits and seeds.
• A somewhat nomadic bird, I’m found most of the year in the Castlemaine district, but my numbers will drop significantly over the winter months due to a northerly migration.
• My nest is a shallow cup of fine twigs and spiders’ webs, usually found on a horizontal branch or tree fork.
• I have a distinctive, undulating, almost lazy flight. Upon landing I have a curious habit of shuffling my wings.
• Quite a long slender bird, my colours consist of bluish grey upperparts with paler washed grey underparts and black outer wing feathers.
• I have a distinctive black face, chin and upper throat, and a black shrike-like bill.