Tuesday, 28 April 2020
Dear Supporter,
Welcome to the May 2020 eNews. We hope you are all staying safe and well during this challenging time.
Read on for plenty of ideas for enjoying our love of birds during COVID-19 restrictions, and meet our Bird of the Month!
Woodland Birds Photography Competition
Connecting Country have just launched their inaugural Connecting Country calendar competition, with the theme of woodland birds.
This photo competition is open to all Connecting Country members and people of the Mount Alexander region. The aim of the competition is to highlight our special woodland bird community and share the passion and skills of our local photographers, as well as produce a beautiful printed calendar for the year 2021.
The calendar will be available to purchase and will feature the top 12 photographs, as selected by the Connecting Country team. There will be a limit of two entries per photographer, and the competition closes at 5pm on Monday 18 May 2020. Both experienced and amateur photographers are encouraged to participate. For details of how to enter, visit the website.
Branches and Backyards Competition
Not that we’re a competitive bunch, but here is another one for you!
To further explore the full potential of people Birding at Home, BirdLife Australia are excited to announce the 2020 Branches and Backyards Competition. The wonderful people in the Birds in Backyards team have been able to turn the existing Birds in Backyards survey data into a competition between the branches.
Starting on 27 April, and continuing fortnightly, BirdLife Australia will be highlighting which of the branches has seen the most diverse range of birds in their backyards, and which branch has done the most surveys.
The best way for you to help Castlemaine branch win the fortnight’s bragging rights is to get surveying what birds are in your backyard.
The Birds in Backyards team have put together some instructions on surveying, including a great instruction video.
BirdLife Australia Photography Competition
The BirdLife Australia Photography Awards is back for 2020! There are two new categories:
accompanying the old favourites:
The awards will run from 15 May until 3 August. For more information visit the awards website.
REMINDER: when photographing wildlife, please ensure that you follow the BirdLife Photography ethics standards found here.
Swift Parrot Count
In this time of COVID-19 and social distancing, the local annual Swift Parrot count isn’t happening as usual until restrictions are lifted. However, there has been at least one confirmed sighting already this year.
We’d suggest looking out for Swifties passing over or feeding on local trees whilst enjoying #cuppawiththebirds or doing a Backyard Birdcount. If you see or hear Swifties, we’d like to know, through Birdata.
Birding in Lockdown
The lovely folk at Connecting Country have put together a great list of resources and suggestions to help us stay connected to birds and nature while we are isolating. Check it out here.
Shorebird Identification Booklet
The BirdLife Australia Migratory Shorebird Program is excited to announce the third edition of its hugely popular Shorebird Identification Booklet.
The team has thoroughly revised and updated this pocket-sized companion for all shorebird counters and interested birders, with lots of useful information on our most common shorebirds, key identification features, sighting distribution maps and short articles on some of BirdLife’s shorebird activities.
The booklet can be downloaded here in PDF file format, or you can order a hard copy – details on ordering are here.
Bird of the Month is the Eastern Spinebill. There are reports of a few Eastern Spinebill being residents over summer in Castlemaine, but on the whole they leave for higher elevations, to return in April. However, it appears there are more questions than answers about these delightful little honey eaters.
Please click here to enjoy reading more on the Connecting Country blog.
Photo: Damian Kelly
There are some great resources available for download on the BirdLife website, covering a range of topics including how to choose binoculars, birdwatching tips, nest boxes and lots more. Simply visit the website and click on the ‘Info Sheets’ dropdown list near the bottom right corner of the homepage.
Connecting Country have produced a useful infographic summarising the results of the Spring 2019 BirdWatch monitoring program.
Click here to check it out.
Follow us on Facebook
We 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
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