October Bird Walk – Saturday 5 October – Castlemaine-Maldon Trail, Walmer

Our next BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch bird walk will be held on Saturday 5 October at the Castlemaine-Maldon Trail, Walmer.

The Trail runs alongside the Victorian Goldfields Railway where an historic steam train runs on Wednesdays and Sundays. It’s an easy flat walk, and the route will go past the historic Muckleford Creek Trestle Bridge.

The habitat varies from eucalypt forest to open farmland. The area has been well frequented by the endangered Swift Parrots of late and hopefully a few will still be there when we do the walk. Other species seen in the area recently are Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brown Treecreeper, White-browed Babbler, Restless Flycatcher, Jacky Winter, Mistletoebird and Peaceful Dove as well as several types of Honeyeaters, Thornbills and the usual regulars.

After this walk along the Trail which should take us to about 11am, those wishing to stay longer can have some morning tea (BYO), and our walk leaders Judy and Gary Smith will take anyone who stays on another short walk.

ALL WELCOME!

Please note there are no toilets at the site.

Where: We will meet at the Trail where it crosses Sinclairs Lane, Walmer. From the roundabout in Castlemaine, travel approx. 1KM west along Forest St., under the railway line and turn right into Farnsworth St. Drive to the end of Farnsworth St. and turn left into Walker St., then follow around the bend where it becomes Richards Rd. Drive approx. 1KM and after passing the Don factory the road bends left and becomes the Muckleford-Castlemaine Rd. Follow the Muckleford-Castlemaine Rd for a further 6.3KM and turn right into Muckleford-Walmer Rd. Drive about 1.2KM and turn left into Carpenters Lane. Travel approx. 2KM and turn left into Sinclairs Lane. We will be on the right about 500 metres along Sinclairs Lane just before the rail line.

GPS: -37.0123, 144.13094.

When: Meet at the Trail at 9:00am.

Bring / wear: Water, snacks, binoculars, sunscreen, hat, long trousers, sturdy closed-in shoes.

More info: Jane Rusden 0448 900 896, or Bob Dawson 0419 621 691.

https://www.bendigoregion.com.au/visit-castlemaine-maldon/castlemaine-to-maldon-trail

https://www.railtrails.org.au/trails/castlemaine-to-maldon-trail/

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.

Information Regarding Weather

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

Marvel at the plant diversity, wildflowers and a magnificent view over “The Res” and its rich bird life.

What to bring / wear:

– Wear long sleeve shirt and long trousers, sunhat, sturdy shoes for uneven ground, and snake protection. Please note, we will be on rough tracks and uneven ground.

– 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 October from 9:30am – 11:30am. Expedition Pass Reservoir, Golden Point Rd, Golden Point.

GPS -37.0527855, 144.2751445

Female Jacky Winter, a quick sketch in pen and watercolour, by Jane Rusden.

Reminder – Weekend Bird Camp, 18-20 October

A final reminder that we are having our our 2024 Bird Camp at the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park in northern Victoria. For those of you who do not know the Park, it is one of Victoria’s premier birding spots with over 200 species listed as having been seen in the area, including endangered and threatened species such as Regent Honeyeater, Swift Parrot, Turquoise Parrot and Square-tailed Kite. At this time of year, many species of birds arrive at the Park or pass through on their way south.

The final details are still being worked out, and we’ll be directly in touch with people who have registered interest.

We have suggested basing ourselves at the caravan park in Chiltern (Lake Anderson Caravan Park) which has powered and unpowered sites plus various different types of cabins. We understand the caravan park is very busy that weekend, so if you are keen to stay there we’d recommend contacting them soon. You will of course be able to stay wherever you like as we will meet at the specific locations each morning; details will be supplied before the event. There are a number of accommodation types offered in the area.

As usual we suggest driving up on the Friday to get settled in if you can. There will be walks organised for Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and afternoon, and Sunday morning. A communal dinner will also be arranged for the Friday night at a hotel or restaurant in Chiltern.

For more information regarding the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, click here:
https://vnpa.org.au/parks/chiltern-mt-pilot-national-park/
https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/Chiltern-Mt-Pilot-National-Park

For those interested in the camp, please advise Bob Dawson by email at bobadawson@hotmail.com so that you can be given the details as they become available.

Photo of Turquoise Parrot at Chiltern by Bob Dawson.

Feathery Festival Wrap-up

In 2023, three of our locally iconic Feathered Five bird species, Diamond Firetail, Hooded Robin and Brown Treecreeper, had their status upgraded to Threatened. Our response was to approach Connecting Country, a local not-for-profit conservation organisation, with an invitation to work with us to do something about species decline in our patch. The result was the Feathery Festival, a partnership between BirdLife Castlemaine District, Connecting Country, Barkers Creek Landcare and Wildlife Group, local venues the Theatre Royal and Shedshaker Brewery, and local artists, all coming together to produce three events over a week-long celebration advocating for our birds, featuring strong representation from both the arts and sciences and so typically Castlemaine in character.

The Festival kicked off with hauntingly beautiful music composed by Joel Bloom and Hilary Blackshaw, with local bird calls embedded and an accompanying footage of watercolour paintings of the birds coming to life in front of our eyes, followed by a panel discussion and the incredible film “Message of the Lyrebird”. We held bird walks for 60 enthusiastic people, including an engaged and interested beginners group … and we even managed silence for a couple of minutes to listen to bird calls. Afterwards we enjoyed morning tea and the incredible singing voices of the Chat Warblers, singing about our local birds and flora. The final event was an evening of Beers and Birds, and pizza, with Tanya Loos in conversation and talking about her new book and how to live in mutually beneficial way, alongside birds. And lastly, as a fund raiser for BirdLife we sold locally designed and printed tee shirts and tote bags throughout the Feathery Festival.

The resulting engagement, with both our stalwart supporters and new supporters alike, was a coming together of bird lovers who went away with a few more tools and ideas to aid bird conservation. A huge thank you to everyone who came along, helped with organisation and contributed in any way to make the Feathery Festival such a success.

Our local supermodels Jane Rusden and Tanya Loos show Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss how it’s done, modelling Feathery Festival Brown Treecreeper tee shirts.

Bird Surveys Needed – Spring Plains Nature Conservation Reserve, Heathcote

The Spring Plains NCR is an example of box-ironbark woodland degraded by years of land clearing for agriculture and mining, firewood collection and inappropriate burn regimens. In particular, the landscape is “leaky”, i.e. rainwater rushes down into gullies causing further erosion, loss of the soil’s organic layer and potentially, downstream flooding.

The Central Victorian Biolinks Alliance is trialling several intervention strategies to retain water in the ground and restore the structure and function of the land, comparing a test site of about 138 ha with a matched control site in an adjacent gully.

Bird surveys are part of the important ongoing monitoring program. A standard 500m/10minute method is being used. Are you able to help conduct some surveys this spring?

Please contact Dr Chris Pocknee, Ecologist, Biolinks Alliance: 0439 904 474 chris.pocknee@biolinksalliance.org.au

Further information on this project and the Biolinks Alliance can be found on their website.

Annual Joint Meeting of BirdLife Castlemaine District and Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club

Please join us for the annual joint meeting of BirdLife Castlemaine District and Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club (CFNC).

Euan Moore, President of CFNC, will be talking about “Birds on Islands – How they change over time – a New Zealand Case Study”.

All welcome!

When and where: Friday 11 October, 7.30 pm.
Uniting Church Fellowship Room, Uniting Church, 24 Lyttleton Street, Castlemaine.

Photo of Erect-crested Penguin, New Zealand, by Euan Moore.

Avian Influenza in Australia

BirdLife Australia is working with Australian authorities to support monitoring of Avian Influenza (bird flu) in Australia.

The H5N1 strain is highly pathogenic and has spread to all continents apart from Australia. Experts predict it could arrive here with the spring migration of shorebirds and seabirds from the Northern Hemisphere.

An outbreak of H5N1 in Australian birds could be catastrophic, as one in six Australian birds are already facing the threat of extinction.

BirdLife Australia has published some very useful information on its website, which can be found here.

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 is the largest species of Tern found in Australia? Choose from the list of six below.

1. Crested Tern
2. Gull Billed Tern
3. Whiskered Tern
4. Caspian Tern
5. Fairy Tern
6. White-winged Black Tern

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 smaller bird, approximately 24 to 26 centimetres in length.
• My preferred habitat is open grasslands or lightly timbered plains, as well as watercourses and in mallee farmlands with access to water.
• My diet consists mostly of seeds and leaves of grasses. But I will also feed on seeds, fruits, and flowers in trees.
• I’m found throughout the year in the Castlemaine district. My range is confined to south-eastern Australia, mostly New South Wales and Victoria, but also parts of South Australia and southern Queensland.
• My nest is a bed of decayed timber, usually in a hollow in a eucalypt tree, but I have also been known to nest in nest boxes, fence posts and tree stumps.
• I can often be found feeding on the ground in small flocks, where I can be easily flushed out of the grass by passing cars and walkers.
• My colours vary between genders; the male is bright green, with a blue-green head, and yellow shoulders and belly. The female is a duller, olive-green, with a green rump and faint yellow or light green scales on the belly.
• I’m a long slender bird, with the male possessing a prominent red rump.

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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 Caspian Tern – Australia’s, and the world’s largest species of Tern.

Question 2: Clockwise from top left – Silvereye, Pallid Cuckoo, Purple Swamphen, Jacky Winter.

Question 3: Red-rumped Parrot.