November Bird Walk – Saturday 1 November – Crusoe Reservoir, Kangaroo Flat

Our November bird walk will be held on Saturday 1 November at Crusoe Reservoir, Kangaroo Flat. The local history is of gold mining with the original reservoir set up to supply the early miners camps. The local ecology is largely Box-Ironbark with a variety of indigenous vegetation. Over 180 bird species have been seen at the Reservoir as well as other flora and fauna. Species recently seen there include Sacred Kingfisher, Pallid Cuckoo, Shining and Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo, Australian Pelican, Olive-backed Oriole, Dusky Woodswallow, Grey Butcherbird, White-bellied Sea Eagle, plus several species of Honeyeater, Whistler, Pardalotes and Thornbills.

Your walk leader is David Hewett.

ALL WELCOME!

Please note the area has all abilities access and there are toilets available.

Where: The Crusoe Reservoir is located on Crusoe Road, Kangaroo Flat. From Castlemaine, take the Midland Hwy (A330), north to the Calder Freeway (M79). As you come into Kangaroo Flat, you will pass Kangaroo Flat Lifestyle Estate/Karinya Retirement Village on the left; just past that you will come to Furness Street (Harvey Norman is on the corner). Turn left and go to the end of Furness Street, then turn left into Crusoe Road. The entrance to the Reservoir is about 500 metres on the left. From Maldon, take the Bendigo – Maldon Road (C283) then left onto Calder Alternate Hwy (A790). After 850 metres turn right onto Crusoe Road. After 6.7KM, Crusoe Reservoir is on the right.

GPS: -36.81677, 144.22310. Google Maps Link is here. 

When: Meet at Crusoe Reservoir car park at 9:00am.

Bring / wear: Water, snacks, binoculars, sunscreen, hat, long trousers and sturdy closed-in shoes (for snake protection).

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

You can discover more about Crusoe Reservoir via the following links:

https://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/things-do/gardens-and-natural-reserves/crusoe-reservoir-and-no-7-park

https://www.bendigoregion.com.au/explore-bendigo/crusoe-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 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

Enjoy a couple of hours sitting in the bush exploring nature and recording what you observe. Led by artist and bird fan Jane Rusden. No experience is necessary and beginners are very welcome. Please note for November the nature journaling is taking place on the second Sunday, due to Jane being away.

What to bring / wear:

– Wear suitable clothing and sturdy shoes (for sun and snake protection). 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.

– A hat and sunscreen.

– Water and snacks.

– Your sense of curiosity.

When and where: Sunday 9 November from 9:30am – 11:30am. Red White and Blue Mine, Junction Red White and Blue Track and Bells Lane Track, Muckleford.

GPS: -37.0601243, 144.1077304

Leaf textures in watercolour, detail of larger work by Jane Rusden.

October Walks Wrap-up

On 18 October, 16 people took part in the second rainbow bird walk along Campbells Creek Trail, followed by morning tea at Stak’s Cafe at the Salvage Yard. The walk was organised jointly between BirdLife Castlemaine, Castlemaine Pride and Connecting Country. 23 species were seen or heard – for the full list click here.

Earlier in the month, our regular monthly walks schedule took us to Mt Korong in perfect weather. 33 species were seen – for the full list click here.

Joint Events with Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club

Combined Meeting – Friday 14 November, 7:30pm, Uniting Church Chapel, 24 Lyttleton Street, Castlemaine

Speaker: Richard Alcorn (Geelong Field Naturalists Club), “eBird Data Explorations”

With backgrounds in computer programming and a passion for recording bird observations, Richard and Margaret Alcorn developed the world’s first online bird atlassing system called Eremaea Birds, launched in 2003. This proved very successful and after 10 years it was merged with eBird, a global database managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, US. In this talk, Richard will show us what can be learnt about bird movements and trends using citizen science data from eBird with many interesting examples and insights from the Geelong and Castlemaine regions. ALL WELCOME!

Joint Walk – Saturday 15 November, 9:30am, Maldon Historic Reserve 

Leader: Euan Moore, “Bird and Wildflower Walk”

Visiting Geelong Field Naturalists Richard and Margaret Alcorn will join us for a walk along Sinclair’s Lane and down the track alongside the Maldon railway line to the trestle bridge. This is an excellent area for a wide diversity of bird species and a chance to enjoy some late-flowering orchids and other wildflowers.

Meet at the northern end of the car park north of the Railway Goods Shed, Kennedy St, Castlemaine for a prompt 9:30am departure (car-pooling as much as possible) OR go straight to the excursion starting point – Sinclair’s Lane next to the Maldon railway crossing for a 9:45am start.

Bring: Water, snacks, clean sturdy shoes, chairs and morning tea. ALL WELCOME!

Challenge Bird Count 2025

The Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club invites members of BirdLife Castlemaine District to join them in late 2025 as part of continuing annual involvement in the Challenge Bird Count. While experienced birdwatchers are encouraged, this is an open invitation to join the search, irrespective of whether you consider yourself as an expert, beginner or somewhere in between. All skill levels are welcomed and encouraged to join this fun event.

Teams of at least 2 people, and ideally 3 or more, are needed to spend part of a day looking for a range of birds within any habitats occurring in a 25km radius of central Castlemaine. Details of the sightings for all the Castlemaine teams will then be compiled and lodged with the organisers from BirdLife Australia. A description of the survey instructions and ‘rules’ is provided on the CFNC website here. This page also has a summary of recent past results, with more details from early years to be added in the coming months.

While the traditional timing is to undertake this on either the first Saturday or Sunday of December (6-7 Dec 2025), it is fine to schedule your searches for any one day (or part thereof) within a week on either side of this weekend.

If you have a team already, or would be interested in joining with others to form a team, please email Chris Timewell, who can provide more details, help coordinate locations for the bird searches for each team to avoid double-ups and also get a good coverage across the district.

As well as being a good excuse to go birdwatching, and possibly see some new or interesting species, it also provides a quick snapshot of the health of the bird community in the local area and contribute to knowledge at a state and national level.

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

In the recent Guardian BirdLife Australia Bird of the Year poll, which species was voted the 2025 Australian Bird of the Year? Choose from the list of 10 species below.

1. Bush Stone-curlew
2. Laughing Kookaburra
3. Spotted Pardalote
4. Little Penguin
5. Gang-gang Cockatoo
6. Willie Wagtail
7. Tawny Frogmouth
8. Wedge-tailed Eagle
9. Baudin’s Black Cockatoo
10. Southern Emu-wren

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 large bird, approximately 48 to 50 centimetres in length.
• I’m found throughout the southeast of Australia, including Victoria, southern New South Wales, and south-eastern South Australia, as well as King Island.
• My diet consists mainly of insects, small birds, eggs, nestlings, carrion, and occasionally seeds and fruit.
• I’m found across a variety of habitats, including grassland, open habitats, pastures, suburban areas, and dry open woodlands.
• My nest is a thin cup of sticks, with a loose layer of bark, grass, feathers, or wool. Built by both parents, the feeding of young is shared. Often in breeding in colonies of up to 15 pairs.
• A highly social species, I can be sometimes found in large flocks roaming freely in search of food.
• My colours consist of completely black plumage, with black legs, feet, and a black bill.
• As an adult I develop a white iris, and have prominent stubby throat hackles, that become noticeable when calling.

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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: Tawny Frogmouth.

Question 2: Clockwise from top left – Grey Fantail, Hoary-headed Grebe, Little Black Cormorant, Rainbow Bee-eater.

Question 3: Little Raven.