July Bird Walk – Saturday 5 July – Bendigo Water Reclamation Plant, Epsom (NOTE – REGISTRATION REQUIRED)

Our July bird walk will be held on Saturday 5 July at the Bendigo Water Reclamation Plant, Epsom. Water treatment plants are always good for water birds but also many bush birds. Last year we came here in autumn, so it will be interesting to see what the differences are regarding the bird numbers and mix.

We saw 54 species last year; highlights included Pink-eared Duck, Australian Shoveler, Hardhead, Musk Duck, Pied Stilt, Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Musk Lorikeet, Grey Butcherbird, Tree and Fairy Martins and many more. We will be guided by the Coliban Water staff along with our walk leaders, Jane Rusden and Bob Dawson.

Note, as usual there are some restrictions to this outing. We are limited to 40 attendees. Please preferably email your desire to attend to bobadawson@hotmail.com or if unable to email, text to 0417 621 691. Please advise full names of all wishing to attend and a contact number. If you have already confirmed your attendance to Bob, there is no need to re-register.

Coliban Water staff and your walk leaders will be there to greet you and will have parking areas set up. Please follow their instructions at all times.

The Coliban Water terms of access are as follows:

Your safety is our priority. Therefore, please read the conditions below and contact us immediately if you have any concerns about your ability to participate.

• Meet 15 minutes before the tour starts at Wallenjoe Road carparking space, ready for your site induction.
• There will be a roll call, and participants are asked to confirm names and phone numbers.
• All participants will stay in the meeting area until the tour starts.
• All participants must comply with instructions provided by the tour guide. These instructions are for your safety and enjoyment.
• A maximum of 40 people can take part in the tour.
• Minors must be supervised by an adult. The adult is responsible for adherence to these conditions.
• All sites are to be regarded as industrial sites.
• The tour may include stairs, open grates, and elevated walkways. Participants are required to wear sturdy shoes (no high heels or open sandals) at plants, and any loose items such as mobile phones and wallets must be secured.
• Please wear clothing that is suitable for the conditions. This includes sun protection, closed-toe shoes, a jacket if it is cold and wet.
• The tour will be modified or cancelled if the tour leader considers that circumstances in any way compromise the safety of the group.
• Every effort will be made to facilitate tours. However, operational demands may, in some circumstances, result in the cancellation of tours at short notice.

Please note no toilets are available at the site.

Where: The walk will begin at the entrance gate to Lagoon 6, accessible from Wallenjoe Road, Epsom. From Castlemaine, travel to and through Bendigo on the Calder (M79) then Midland (A79) Highways. Around 7KM past the centre of Bendigo, (just past Bunnings, Epsom) you will come to Howard Street. Turn left, drive around 500mtrs along Howard Street then turn right onto Wallenjoe Road. The gate is approx. 1.3KM down Wallenjoe Road.

GPS: -36.69360, 144.30807. Google Maps Link is here. 

When: Meet at Wallenjoe Road at 8:45am.

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

Midweek Bird Walk – Wednesday 16 July – Campbells Creek Trail, Castlemaine

Our next midweek walk is to be held at the Campbells Creek Trail in Castlemaine on Wednesday 16 July. The trail runs from the Camp Reserve along Barkers and Campbells Creeks to the Campbells Creek township. The track is mostly flat providing easy walking and is wheelchair accessible. The walk runs partly through some areas of houses and commercial buildings but has good riparian vegetation, thanks largely to the Campbells Creek Land Care group. Possible sightings include Pied Currawong, Musk Lorikeet, Silvereye, Grey Fantail, Golden and Rufous Whistler and various Thornbills and Honeyeaters. Our walk leader is Bob Dawson.

Where: The walk starts from the beginning of the Trail which is off Forest Street just by the bridge over Barkers Creek, opposite Camp Reserve. From the roundabout at the corner of Hargreaves and Forest Streets, travel west along Forest Street for about 500mtrs, under the railway bridge and over Barkers Creek then park either in Gaulton or Forest Streets then walk back along the south side of Forest Creek toward the creek. We will be at the start of the Trail.

GPS -37.06648, 144.21305. Google Maps Link is here.

When: Meet at Campbells Creek Trail 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

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 Cancellation of Walks

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 for July is taking place at Ochre Pits, Guildford l132 Bushland Reserve, exploring nature and recording what you observe. Led by artist and bird nut, Jane Rusden. No experience is necessary and beginners are very welcome.

What to bring / wear:

– Wear warm clothing, long trousers, long sleeve shirt and sturdy shoes, for sun and snake protection, and a sunhat. Note we will be on rough bush tracks, occasionally off track and will walk up to a few hundred meters, possibly carrying your art materials.

– 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, hot drink and snacks.

– Your sense of curiosity.

When and where: Sunday 6 July from 9:30am – 11:30am. Ochre Pits, Guildford l132 Bushland Reserve, 270 Blanket Gully Rd, Campbells Creek.

GPS: -37.11756, 144.20095

Image by Jane Rusden

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 of the eight species of Cockatoo listed below is not found in Australia?

1. Little Corella
2. Pink Cockatoo
3. Glossy Black-Cockatoo
4. Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo
5. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
6. White Cockatoo
7. Palm Cockatoo
8. Red-tailed Black-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 32 centimetres in length.
• I’m found in in northern and eastern Australia, ranging from the Kimberly region of Western Australia, through parts of the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales as well as northern Victoria and the South Australian Riverlands.
• My diet mostly consists of insects and other invertebrates, but I will also feed on nectar and fruit from native and exotic plants. In northern regions I can be found in banana plantations.
• I’m found across a variety of habitats, from tropical, sub-tropical and wetter temperate forests and woodlands, as well as mangroves, coastal heathlands and urban parks and gardens.
• My nest is often made by refurbishing the abandoned nest of other species, like Grey-crowned Babblers, Friarbirds, Noisy Miner, Red Wattlebird, Australian Magpie, and Magpie-lark. If I build a new nest, it is a neat round cup of rough bark, linked with finer bark and grass.
• A noisy and gregarious bird, I’m often seen in flocks of up to seven birds on the bark and limbs of trees, as well as on flowers and foliage. Often a cooperative breeder, immature birds help the main breeding pair to feed nestlings.
• My crown, face and neck are black, with a narrow white band across the back of the neck. My upperparts and wings are a golden olive green, and the underparts are white, with a grey-black throat and upper breast.
• I have a brilliant Cobalt blue bare skin facial disc; in juvenile birds the facial skin is yellow-green.

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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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Quiz Answers

Question 1: The White Cockatoo, a species of Cockatoo found in eastern Indonesia and the island of New Guinea.

Question 2: Clockwise from top left – Scarlet Robin (female), Common Bronzewing, Fuscous Honeyeater, Brown Falcon.

Question 3: Blue-faced Honeyeater.