fbpx
News

BirdLife Castlemaine District eNews March 2020

Tuesday, 25 February 2020

  • Estimated reading time 10 minutes

Welcome to Castlemaine District eNews!

Dear Supporter,

Welcome to the March 2020 eNews. Read about our next walk, the forthcoming AGM, and meet our very first Bird of the Month!

March Bird Walk

Saturday 7 March – Mount Tarrengower West 

Our next walk takes us to Mount Tarrengower West, led by Damian Kelly. The habitat is grassy dry forest with box eucalypts on slopes, Red Gums and Yellow Box in lower areas.

Birds that may be seen include Large Parrots, Eastern Rosellas, Thornbills, Scarlet Robin, Jacky Winter, Restless Fly Catcher.

The walk will be followed by the AGM of BirdLife Castlemaine District; more details are provided in the next section of this eNews.

Location and directions: From Maldon take the Maldon-Bridgewater Road. About 2km out of town turn left into Watersons Road. A further 1km along is the turn off on the left to Mount Back Road. The walk starts here. Plenty of parking is available near this intersection.

Time: Meet at the destination at 9:00am, 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.

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).

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

Notice of Annual General Meeting

The 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch will be held on Saturday 7 March 2020 at 11:30am, at 25A Church Street, Maldon. The AGM will follow the monthly bird walk scheduled for Mount Tarrengower.  Morning tea will be provided from 11:00am.

A nomination form for committee positions will be available on the day, or can be requested in advance by emailing castlemaine@birdlife.org.au. The positions vacant are Convenor; Secretary; Treasurer and committee members.  Please consider nominating for the committee.

Nomination forms and proxy voting forms should be emailed to castlemaine@birdlife.org.au OR mailed to: Secretary, BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch, 25A Church Street, Maldon, 3463.

Nominations will also be accepted on the day of the AGM.

Save the Date – Field Nats Talk

In April, Lana Austin (Monash Uni) will talk to the Field Nats about the genetics of our regional populations of Eastern Yellow Robins.  This will be on Friday 17 April at 7:30pm in the Uniting Church Hall, Lyttleton St, Castlemaine – everyone welcome.  We don’t have a title or further details as yet, but interested birders may like to keep that evening free.

There may be a bird walk in the Muckleford area the next day (Saturday 18th) starting at 1:30pm, but this has to be confirmed.

Bird of the Month

Crimson Rosellas are quite a familiar bird for many people, as they often visit towns and gardens and are also found in native vegetation. They are amusing, colourful and entertaining to watch and will visit garden bird baths and feeding stations (with appropriate wild bird seed mix).

Please click here to enjoy reading about these delightful parrots on the Connecting Country blog.

 

Photo: Jane Rusden

Follow us on Facebook

We now have a BirdLife Castlemaine District Facebook page. Follow us for all the latest bird news and events.

Become a Member

Membership of BirdLife Australia is a great way to support a bright future for Australia’s birds. Learn more about membership or other ways to get involved here.

Kind regards,

The BirdLife Castlemaine Committee

Forward to a friend

Bird Walks Calendar 2020

  • Saturday 7 March – Mount Tarrengower West. Walk leader – Damian Kelly. Followed by BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch AGM.
  • Saturday 4 April – Rise and Shine Nature Reserve, Sandon. Walk leaders – Cheryl Taylor and Ron Westcott.
  • Saturday 2 May – Elphinstone. Walk leader – Damian Kelly. Joint walk with Elphinstone Land Management Association (ELMA).
  • Saturday 6 June – Fryerstown. Walk leader – Clodagh Norwood.
  • Saturday 4 July – Campbells Creek. Walk leader – Jane Rusden.
  • Saturday 1 August – Private property in Strangways. Walk leader – Andrew Skeoch.
  • Saturday 5 September – Green Gully. Walk leader – Carol Barker.
  • Saturday 3 October – Muckleford Forest Newstead: Mia Mia Track /South German Track. Walk leader – Sue Boekel.
  • Saturday 7 November – Gowar Forest. Walk leaders – Jenny Rolland and Euan Moore.
  • Saturday 5 December – Shelbourne. Walk leaders – Jane Mitchell and Kerrie Jennings. Followed by end-of-year morning tea.
BirdLife Australia, BirdLife Victoria Group, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC 3053  | castlemaine@birdlife.org.au