Welcome to Castlemaine District eNews!

Dear Supporter,

Welcome to our first eNews for the new decade! We hope you had a good Christmas and are looking forward to a bird-filled 2020.

We are delighted to launch our 2020 Bird Walks Program, which includes some favourites from 2019 and some new destinations. There will also be workshops in 2020; details will be provided via this eNews and our Facebook page.

January Bird Walk

Saturday 4 January – Wombat State Forest, Blackwood

Our first walk for the year takes us to the Wombat State Forest with birder extraordinaire Tanya Loos, where we will walk the Whipstick Creek Loop track through the wet ferny gullies and peppermint ridges of the Forest.

On our walk we are likely to see local special species such as Rufous Fantail, Crescent Honeyeater, Gang Gang Cockatoo and Blue-winged Parrot. We might also see Rose Robin, Bassian Thrush and Square-tailed Kite.

The walk takes around 3-4 hours; those wishing to do part of the walk can retrace their steps back to the Garden of St Erth where we start. This is one of The Diggers Club’s properties and a fantastic perennial and fruit garden, with a cafe and nursery – well worth a look!

Location and directions: Garden of St Erth car park, 189 Simmons Reef Rd, Blackwood, VIC 3458. Link to Google Maps is here.

Time: Meet at Garden of St Erth car park at 9:30am, or to carpool from Castlemaine meet at 8:30am outside Castlemaine Community House (formerly Continuing Ed), Templeton Street.

Important information about walks: Bring water, snacks, binoculars, hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, 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 in place, persistent rain is forecast, or if the day has been declared a Total Fire Ban day.

Please check your email or BirdLife Castlemaine’s Facebook page on the evening before a walk / activity to find out if the event has been cancelled.

Questions? If you have questions about our walks program, you can email us at castlemaine@birdlife.org.au, or call / text Judy Hopley (0425 768 559) or Asha Bannon (0418 428 721).

2020 Bird Walks Program

Details of our 2020 Bird Walks are shown in the ‘Calendar’ section at the bottom of this eNews. Location information and meeting up instructions will be provided via the monthly eNews sent out the weekend prior to each walk. Please note that occasionally we may need to change the location of a walk due to weather or other factors.

All levels of experience are welcome – the walks are a great chance to learn from and have fun with fellow birdwatchers.

Bird Walks Calendar 2020