Nature Notes for November / December 2009

The weather over the past month has influenced local nature. The very hot weather brought on massive numbers of hoverflies and blowflies, then after some rain, termites took the opportunity to increase the size and height of their mounds. On a damp morning the observers noticed a very strong smell of liquorice in the bush. This unusual odour came from the flowering broom honey myrtle. This year the sweet bursaria is also flowering strongly and has a beautiful smell. You may notice it flowering on many roadsides, a spindly and very spiny bush, with small delicate creamy, very perfumed flowers. The yellow gum trees are flowering too and it is possible to catch the smell of honey from them. Masses of snowy white flowers can also be seen on Heath Tea Tree and delicate mauve bottle brush flowers are known as Totem –poles. Many plants and grasses have finished flowering during spring and are now producing seed. This in turn has led to increasing numbers of seed eating birds seen. WCMN observers have recorded observations of the endangered Northern Golden moth orchid in a previously unknown location. Their identity has been confirmed by DSE and is an important addition to known locations of this rare orchid. Even during the hot weather, Orchids continue to bloom. In this area slender onion orchids have been quite abundant. The soft chirping sounds that have filled the sky for an unusually long time belongs to large flocks of wood swallows. They are currently nesting and white browed wood swallows have been observed feeding young in a nest located in the precarious broken end of a tree branch. A newly refurbished and very large stick nest noted in the Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve has been identified as the nest of a pair of little eagles. A stimulating month, there is always something interesting to observe. Wedderburn

Conservation Management Network “Observers”

WCMN Members Visit Little Desert Nature Lodge

We arrived at the Lodge not long before the evening meal was served. The night spotlight tour was postponed to allow us to rest after the long journey of the day. But did we rest? No. We held a committee meeting to review all the activities of the WCMN during 2009. The activities were examined in such detail that we had to reschedule the planning session for 2010 until the following day.

On Friday we headed off on a four wheel drive tour of the Little Desert Park. The vehicle was a 1960’s Series 1 Land rover which evoked nostalgia for some of our group, and wonder for others. Our guide, Ken did a sterling job of pointing out interesting vegetation and provided plenty of historical information relevant to the park, all the time while negotiating the sandy and sometimes rocky tracks. Our tour covered a surprising variety of soil, geology and vegetation types and gave us a good picture of the diversity of landforms. Areas that had been burnt in recent years gave us a view of regeneration after fire. We were able to examine numerous plants and flowers that are unique to the area. Bird identification was a little hampered by lack of opportunities to stop and spend time looking for them.

The afternoon was devoted to a WCMN planning meeting. It was a productive time that has identified a diverse calendar of activities for WCMN over the next 12 Months.

That evening we waited until the tremendous thunderstorm and heavy rain had abated before walking to the Mallee Fowl enclosure for the evening spotlight tour with Mark as our guide. We viewed bettongs, bandicoots, sugar gliders, and two bush stone curlews. It began to rain just as we moved in to the covered viewing platform where we saw a Malleefowl perched high up in a tree. The rain abated long enough for us to return back to the lodge before more entertainment with heavy rain and power failures.

Saturday morning we returned to the Malleefowl aviary to view the Curlews in daylight as well as study the malleefowl in two areas with active mounds. Mark provided us with a most informative talk on the habits of the mallee fowl, and the history and activity of the birds we could see.

The visit to Little Desert Lodge was a most worthwhile experience, with opportunities to learn much about flora and fauna of the area and the unique history of Whimpey Reichalts involvement with Malleefowl conservation over the years. We were able to increase our knowledge and understanding of malleefowl in particular, which will be valuable for our ongoing involvement with this species in the Wedderburn Conservation Management Network.

Article and photographs by Annette Robertson

The LPLN meeting of the 20th November - cruise, views and bbq's at the Serpentine Creek

The latest meeting of the Loddon Plains Landcare Network was held at the property of Stephen and Sally Maxted on the Serpentine Creek, Durham Ox, 20th of November. Thirty people braved the uncertain afternoon weather to attend an event which was designed to be a brief meeting followed by a get to know one another bbq and cruise on the Serpentine Creek.The assembled company consisted of representatives from various Landcare groups, Friends of Kooyoora and the Wedderburn Conservation Management Network (WCMN). Among the members present were such veteran Landcare identities as Andy Hay from Kamarooka Landcare and NUFG, Bill Twigg from East Loddon Landcare and Jill MacFarlane a founder member of the WCMN. Matching up to all of these prodigious champions of the environment was four year old Noah Condcliffe, a member of the Salisbury West Junior Landcare group. It was also encouraging to see Christine Brooke of Loddon Vale Landcare group, not in her Mayoral role but among all others registering, by their presence, a concern and commitment to changing our environment for the better.An efficiently conducted meeting chaired by Mal Brown of the Northern United Forestry Group began with the introduction of the recently elected executive of the network namely:

Mal Brown - Chair - Northern United Forestry Group (NUFG)
Penny Wall - Deputy Chair - North Central Landcare Group and NUFG
Michael Moore - Secretary - Wedderburn Conservation Management Network
Jean McClymont - Treasurer - Salisbury West Landcare Group

This done, various agenda items were discussed as follows: voting rights for the network, network membership fees, draft mission statement, landcare assets, design of the LPLN logo, setting up a blogspot/website and the possible use of funds.

The meeting declared closed, all assembled fell to enjoying the rest of the evening which consisted of a fine bbq meal presented in beautiful surroundings, much interesting conversation and a scenic cruise on the creek. Views on the creek were impressive, all with their own charm as light passed from dusk to dark. Many thanks went to organizers of the evening especially Mal Brown and Laurie, Jo, Stephen and Sally Maxted.

Article by Michael Moore, photographs: upper - Phil Dyson, lower - Mal Brown

WCMN Members Visit Seeding Victoria Inc

On a devious route to the Little Desert Lodge members of the WCMN paid a visit to the Ballarat Region Seed Band at Creswick, now named Seeding Victoria. Upon arrival we were invited in for a cuppa and a general chat about the valuable work that goes on at this facility. We were informed of the business’ fifteen years of experience in the seed industry and its consistently demonstrated ability to deliver appropriately sourced indigenous seed for revegetation work throughout most of Victoria. Selecting seed with respect to the appropriate provenance (place of origin), genetic variability and viability of germination is a vital part of the success of the facility and the projects that rely on their seeds. Once finished with the general chat we were then shown along to that part of the facility that deals with testing the seeds for viability of germination and storage of the final product. We spent a good half hour observing the process and obtaining answers to the many questions asked by members. A short visit to the cold room revealed the thousands of seeds being stored there ready for use at suitable times of the year – there were even wattle seeds from Wychitella, just around the corner from Wedderburn. The revegetation projects run by WCMN have made extensive use of seed from Seeding Victoria and will continue to do so.

Article by Michael Moore

Introducing the WCMN’s Temporary Replacement Ranger

Hi All, my name is Murray Tully, I live at Huntly next to the Greater Bendigo National Park with mypartner Gen and two children, Eve 6yrs and Izak 5yrs. We have 23 acres of ex farm land that I am slowly revegetating with seedlings grown from seed I have collected locally.When Graeme Tennant the Mid Loddon CMN ranger had a very unfortunate accident with a chainsawsevering the tendons on the back of his left hand and while he is rehabilitating from this accident I havebeen temporarily taking his place. With Wendy Murphy having her baby (Congrats Wendy) I now find myself temporarily looking after some of her projects as well.In 2006 I enrolled at BRIT in the Diploma of Conservation & Land Management for two years where I participated in such things as:

· Flora and Fauna Surveys including Malleefowl mound surveys

· Sustainable water management including catchment management, water monitoring of the Bendigo

lakes and the writing of a management plan for the Bendigo Creek

· Best practice NRM management including writing and implementing plans for revegetation, pest flora

and fauna and protection of threatened species

· Pest flora and fauna management including practical techniques for integrated pest control

I was a founding member of the newly formed Northern Bendigo Landcare Group where I have enjoyed the positions of Project Officer and currently that of President of the group.

Film Footage of Nationally Endangered Malleefowl Obtained

Peter Watts has been monitoring malleefowl activity for a number of years in the Wychitella area. His patience and efforts were rewarded on the 23^rd of November this year when the camouflaged camera setup that he had rigged up near an active malleefowl mound recorded the activity of a breeding pair of these rare and endangered birds. The particular mound that these birds were using had not been active for approximately twelve to fifteen years according to Peter’s records. Peter’s three separate pieces of film, totalling approximately forty minutes, showed the breeding pair preparing the mound (mainly the male) for egg laying, the female inspecting the laying site and laying an egg and finally the male covering up the mound. This behaviour has been seen with birds in captive breeding programmes but never in the wild in this area. The incubation time for the egg is approximately fifty days and Peter would love to capture the moment when the chick emerges from the earth after digging its way out, fingers crossed. A new surveillance camera purchased by the WCMN has been undergoing testing before being set up on another active mound monitored by Peter. A total of four breeding pairs have been located in the WCMN’s area of interest.

Article by Peter Watts and Michael Moore

Wedderburn CMN the Recipient of a CVGT Grant

The WCMN recently received a CVGT grant for $750 to help in the purchase of a clipole display system. The display system will be used to exhibit the group’s increasing collection of photographs, maps, newsletters and informational pamphlets. Peter Morison, WCMN facilitator, accepted the grant from Mrs Ann Jones, chairperson of the board of directors at a ceremony held on the 20^th November at Long Gully.

Many thanks go to Wendy Murphy for her efforts in securing the grant.

Fox Baiting Programme

Murray Tully, the acting Mid Loddon CMN Ranger, has picked up the Wedderburn CMN’s fox baiting program. He is laying fox baits in the Wychitella NCR to continue on from where I left off in August. Parks Victoria are again looking to complement the Wedderburn CMN baiting by putting baits out in some of the other blocks of the Wychitella NCR in the coming months.
Wendy Murphy

Revegetation Works Complete

Revegetation works on four properties in the Wedderburn area have been completed as part of the $80 000 Caring for Our Country funding the Wedderburn CMN received last year. Close to 20km of direct seeding was done across the four properties after the sites were ripped and sprayed for weeds and red-legged earth mite. These revegetation sites create links between blocks of remnant vegetation and add area on to existing vegetation blocks. Each will provide food, shelter and protection for a wide range of bird species, reptiles and native mammals such as the Yellow-footed Antechinus.
Wendy Murphy

Nature Notes for September / October

So much is occurring in our natural environment during these spring months. The “Observers” have had a busy and most interesting time. The bright and varied colours of wildflowers are so visually stimulating. For example the hop bushes are spectacular at present ranging from vivid red through to orange and pale green. Lots of birds are nesting now and this is associated with quite a bit of defensive behaviour. We are well accustomed to magpies defending their young in the nest, but many birds can be equally as defensive towards other birds who venture near their nests. Wattle birds will chase away any other bird, large or small. It has been entertaining to watch the progress of construction of a white winged chough’s nest. Over a few weeks a noisy team of workers have almost completed the project. The nest is made from mud and it appears that even though many birds contribute the nesting material, there is a foreman who supervises the construction. Masses of flowers have been observed on bull mallee trees and white gums. Small groups of lorikeets are in the area feeding on the flower nectar. Cockatiels have also been seen in several locations. After the hot and then rainy weather large flocks of wood swallows appeared, catching insects on the wing. The observers have been visiting other areas too. Wyperfeld National Park currently has masses of wildflowers (who needs to go to Western Australia)? An informative day was attended at the Trust for Nature Kinipanyial Grassland site – also lots of wildflowers, and an important example of the biodiversity of the region. At the Friends of Kooryoora Wildflower show the “observers” had a great opportunity to learn a lot more about our local flora. The Wedderburn Conservation Management Network bus trip was well attended and provided the community with an opportunity to view many of the WCMN work sites. Keep looking at your natural environment – following the rains, the wildflowers in our local area have really put on a spectacular show.

Wedderburn CMN "Observers"

BOCA Bird Camp on Member`s Property

Recently the Bird Observation and Conservation Australia Club (BOCA) held a five day camp on a property in Old Boort Rd. This property is one which has had revegetation work carried out by the Wedderburn Conservation Management Network. The camp was a huge success with 103 species of birds seen, 68 species were seen on the block alone. Trips were made to Skinners Flat, Mount Egbert, Old Boort Rd Gravel Pit, and Korong Vale reservoir. Some of the more unusual birds seen were Black, Tawny-Crowned and Black Chinned Honeyeaters, Budgerigars, Cockatiels and Blue Winged Parrots, Zebra Finches, Hooded Robins and Mallee Fowl. There were large numbers of Rufous Songlarks and Brown Treecreepers noted. Also seen on the property were Sugar Gliders. It was noted that many birds were making use of the Wedderburn CMN revegetated areas for feeding and shelter, a great triumph for the group. Apart from shopping in Wedderburn, the coffee shop was patronised and 30 members enjoyed dinner at the hotel on Monday night. Some members hired cabins at the camping ground whilst others (though camped at Old Boort Rd) were glad to be able to use the showers for a fee. This sort of camp makes a welcome financial contribution to the town and is also a great stimulus for eco-tourism in the area.

Doug Pocock

Lanscape Connectivity - A Talk by Dr Jim Radford

There has been much attention on habitat fragmentation and the need to‘re- connect landscapes’ if we are going to conserve biodiversity. This topic of remedying fragmentation of habitat has been at the heart of many of the actions carried out by the Wedderburn CMN over the last six years of its existence and is also of concern to the members of the newly formed Loddon Plains Landcare Network. It seemed appropriate then to invite Dr Jim Radford, of Deakin University and Bush Heritage Australia, an acknowledged expert in this field to give a talk on the subject. The talk, held at Serpentine Bowls club, was attended by members of various landcare groups and members of the Wedderburn CMN.
The talk focused on landscape connectivity, and aimed to stimulate discussion on some key questions such as: What is landscape connectivity and why is it important? How can we increase connectivity at the large spatial scale?
Dr Radford provided much insight into possible answers to questions such as these and others raised by members of the audience. Significant comments included - more emphasis needs to be placed on restoring resilient ecosystems - improving ecosystems may take many forms including revegetation - concentration should be upon building and connecting habitats – we should conserve and enhance what we already have. The talk also highlighted the danger of efforts which only added vegetation to the environment without adequate thought for actual habitat building. This was an educational experience.
Michael Moore

Bush Tender Programme in WCMN Area

The Bush Tender programme is a programme designed to protect and enhance native vegetation by paying for landholder services that better manage native vegetation on private land. This scheme has proved very successful in various parts of Victoria and has been extended to include the area shown in the map given. Approximately $1 million dollars is available for landholder payments across this Bush Tender bidding round in the project area. The scheme provides the opportunity for landholders to generate alternative income and benefit the environment at the same time. Landholders who have native vegetation on their land can nominate their own price in a competitive tender in return for providing services to protect such vegetation. Services can include such things as fencing off remnant vegetation, controlling of pest species threatening the wellbeing of native vegetation and the planting of native understory. Bids submitted for payment for services will be judged upon the basis of best value for money in environmental terms i.e. the lowest bids may not always be successful. More information on this environmentally valuable programme can be obtained by contacting the Department of Sustainability and Environment – ph 136186

Summary of a publication by DSE - Michael Moore

Native Orchid Talk

On October 5th the Wedderburn CMN were lucky enough to have Geoff Neville from DSE Bendigo come and talk to a small group about the native orchids of the Wedderburn and surrounding areas. Numbers were a little disappointing for someone with such knowledge as Geoff presenting, but I’m sure those who were there found the talk very informative and learned something from it. Geoff introduced us to the 12 native orchids which have received funding for him to carry out conservation works on and where each could be found, some of the conservation works that were happening for the orchids and perhaps most interesting of all, the works being done on trying to discover and learn more about the pollinators for each orchid species. Thanks to Geoff for giving up his evening during a very busy time of the year for his work and thanks also to Dave & Deanna from the Wedderburn Milk Bar who provided the group with a beautiful array of sandwiches, slices and fruit platters.

Wendy Murphy

Visitor from Malleefowl Preservation Group WA

On Thursday 22nd October members of the Wedderburn CMN attended an informative presentation on the work of the Malleefowl Preservation Group based in Ongerup WA. Susanne Dennings who is the group`s environmental projects coordinator shared her group`s experiences in their efforts to conserve malleefowl in that part of the country. We were informed that this grass roots group which prides itself on getting things done boasts a membership of over six hundred with the majority being farmers. There are however members from many other walks of life. The group have participated in a number of activities akin to those carried out by the Wedderburn CMN such as fencing off of native vegetation, the creation of wildlife corridors, fox baiting to reduce predation by foxes and monitoring of malleefowl mounds. The group has developed a novel means of surveying areas of bush for malleefowl mounds which involves up to twenty five people in a line moving through the bush in a coordinated fashion. The group has surveyed large tracts of bush using this human chain method. Raising public awareness has been achieved by means of displays and activities at their community owned environmental centre, which has proved to be a great tourist attraction, and a primary school education programme which has to date involved over one hundred schools in WA. It has been decided that both groups will at least maintain contact in the future through exchange of information and ideas via websites and newsletters. The possibility of exchange of personnel was also discussed. The fine results achieved by this group in conservation of malleeefowl is attributable to the tremendous work done by a concerned, committed and enthusiastic community.

Michael Moore

WCMN "Observer" attends Box-Ironbark Course

In early October I attended this intensive five day course at Nagambie. A considerable amount of valuable and most interesting information was provided by presenters, who willingly shared their extensive knowledge and experience in their field of expertise. The majority of sessions were held in the field which was a most effective learning environment. The introductory sessions covered the broader aspects of geology, soils, flora and fauna of the box ironbark area. Participants were provided with an opportunity to move through elective areas of interest and learn further skills such as soil sampling, vegetation assessment, fauna habitat assessment and invertebrate sampling. Participants were encouraged to identify and understand natural patterns in the landscapes of different Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVC ) – Creek line, Grassy Woodland, Box Ironbark Forest, Heathy Dry Woodland, Hillcrest/Granitic Hills and herb-rich woodlands. Opportunities were also provided to consider the impacts of human intervention over time, such as extensive mining that has occurred, and the management of ecological burning in forest areas. Having completed the course I have gained valuable knowledge relevant to observing and recording the biodiversity of our area. I am looking forward to putting all this new found knowledge into practice.

Annette Robertson

Wildflower Show

Friends of Kooyoora Wildflower Show

On Saturday 19th Sept and Sunday 20th Sept the Wedderburn CMN were involved with having an information display at the Friends of Kooyoora Wildflower Show at Rheola. The Friends of Kooyoora must be congratulated on running such an informative and innovative event and thank-you to the Wedderburn CMN volunteers who manned the display. The Wedderburn CMN certainly appreciates being allowed to have a display at the Show to promote our group and show the wider community what we are about and the wide range of conservation works we do. On the Sunday I took 17 enthusiastic people on a bus tour of some of the Wedderburn CMN’s work sites including past and present revegetation sites, a kangaroo exclosure plot and an ecological thinning trial. There was a lot of interest in what was happening and much discussion generated amongst the group as to why works were being done and what the outcomes would be. Thank-you must go to Suzie from Parks Victoria for her input and also to Howard for the use of his bus.

Wendy Murphy

Nature Notes for August / September

Spring is in the air. Our natural environment is certainly indicating this at present. Yes, there are the obvious displays of bright yellow wattle, but have you seen a leopard (orchid) yet? Our members have been down at ground level photographing and recording numerous different local orchids that are prolific now, particularly greenhoods and blue caladenia.
The birds are also getting excited about spring. Families of white winged choughs are constructing their mud nests, Pardalotes are singing and dancing with outstretched wings, crested pigeons, galahs and magpies have all been seen in flight carrying nesting materials. An encounter with a white fronted chat saw the small bird mimicking an injury or broken wing, a clever deception to distract the intruder from young birds in its nest.
Echidnas are active. Two were observed at Mt Korong within 1km of each other, walking briskly across open ground. They were very different in colour and size. The pale coloured echidna was easily camouflaged by tussocks of grass.
The sounds of nature also changes with the season. It is wonderful to hear frogs again, and challenging to try to pick out different calls. A fellow observer mentioned listening to a banjo frog, sometimes called a pobble bonk, after a shower of rain. The call of the pallid cuckoo is synonymous with the wattle in bloom. Magpies are singing in large groups, and are even singing at night.
WCMN members had an interesting and most educational day trip to visit many of the sites that WCMN had been involved with. A major highlight was the sighting of a Little Eagle at Mr Korong.
There is so much happening in our local natural environment. Something of interest for everyone. From the behaviour of birds at nesting time, to the brilliant displays of flowering wattles, right down to the delicate, yet so varied orchids and other flowering plants.
WCMN will be at the Kooyoora wildflower show. This will be a wonderful opportunity to see a huge display of our local wildflowers, and gather lots of information. Hope to see you there.

WCMN (Wedderburn Conservation Management Network) “Observers”

Community Input Sought on Location of Environmental Assets

The Wedderburn CMN is creating a database of the natural environmental assets of their focus area, see the attached map. We cannot hope to carry out detailed environmental mapping with our limited resources of personnel and so we need the community in general to act as on ground observers. We are inviting members of the community to contact us with information concerning any groupings or individual occurrences of significant plant or animal species. Such species may be located on your property, on a roadside or in a reserve, where-ever, we would like to know about them. You needn’t know scientific names to present your information, if you consider the plant or animal to be significant or out of the ordinary then please let us know about the situation. You may have some historical information about where a species was once found, but is no longer present. Any information would be appreciated.

You can call the Wedderburn CMN Ranger on 0438384053 or write to the Wedderburn CMN at PO Box 65 Wedderburn 3518. There is no commitment associated with submitting information, except providing a contact phone number.

Article - Wendy Murphy and Michael Moore

The Wedderburn CMN Observers Group

The recently formed WCMN Observers group is a subgroup of the Wedderburn Conservation Management Network. The group has the declared aim of raising awareness of the overall biodiversity of the focus area within the general community. One of the main aspects of communication chosen by the group to achieve this aim is that of photography and the incorporation of such photographs into environmentally based articles for publication in local news media and on one of the group`s websites - the group`s blogspot. The group has managed, so far, to publish articles in the Loddon Times entitled `Nature Notes`. These articles are a result of observations of the environment made by members as they go about their normal work or relax in their environment. It is also the intention of the group to make available to the general community a gallery of biodiversity – a collection of nature photographs of the focus area.

Members of this group also enjoy participating in "hands on" activities. Over a period of a few weeks in August members have been involved in planting various species of plants in the Korong Reserve which is located just off the Calder Highway between Wedderburn and Inglewood. The plants were kindly donated by fellow WCMN member Doug Pocock. Parks Victoria staff ripped the ground in preparation for the planting and also supplied the stake and guards for the plants.

Members have also been involved in laying out transect lines for monitoring kangaroo numbers in the northern part of the focus area. Laying out a transect line involves running out 150 metres of string which is then tied to stakes in the ground, stones are placed on the string to keep it flat on the ground. A strip of ground one metre out from the string is then cleared of all visible kangaroo droppings and this area left for one month. After the month is up the area is then surveyed again for kangaroo droppings, the droppings counted, and the results sent to DSE for processing. This is quite easy work in open country but a different prospect when surveying in fairly dense bush.

Article - Michael Moore , photograph - Annette Robertson

The Wedderburn CMN Fox Baiting Programme

The Wedderburn CMN has been conducting a fox-baiting program for close to five years now in the Skinners Flat block, Wychitella block and Wedderburn block of Wychitella NCR and also some on private property. This has been done in conjunction with DPI and Parks Victoria baiting programs in the adjoining landscape.
The baiting program has been successful in reducing fox numbers especially around areas used by breeding malleefowl. Some young birds have even been observed suggesting the reduced predation by foxes is allowing some recruitment of young malleefowl into the population.
In the recent months though there seems to be an increase in fox numbers with more baits than usual being taken from right across the baiting area, and quite a few foxes have been seen moving around the area. This is probably due to the beginning of the fox breeding season and the fact that because so many foxes have been removed from the Reserve, more foxes from outlying areas are coming in to the vacant territories.
The baiting program will continue on a monthly basis over the summer months, as this is a critical time for malleefowl breeding and young dispersal. Wendy is hoping to organise a more in depth community talk on the Wedderburn CMN’s fox baiting program in the near future for those who are interested.

Article - WCMN Ranger, Wendy Murphy

Use of Caring for Our Country Funds

The Wedderburn CMN has received Federal funding via the NCCMA as part of the Caring for our Country money. The funding is to be spent on fencing and improving remnant woodlands. Landholders in the Wedderburn, Mt Korong, Mt Brenanah areas, who have woodlands on their properties and wish to have works done on these properties are encouraged to contact the CMN Ranger Wendy Murphy on 0438384053. Works could include fencing for stock management and or understorey replanting.
Peter Morison

The Yellow- footed Antechinus

In recent months there have been a number of reports from people finding what they believe to be rats living in and around their homes. On closer inspection some of these rats turn out to be native Yellow-footed Antechinus, (Antechinus flavipes). Winter and early spring is the breeding season for these little creatures, which is why locals are reporting them more now. The Yellow-footed Antechinus can be distinguished from common rat species in the fact it has a sharply tapered snout, rather short ears and a fully, (though sparsely), furred tail has pale eye-rings, a black-tipped tail and a distinction between the slate-grey colour of the head and the orange-brown underparts. It is a nocturnal predator feeding on small rodents, birds and insects, but it also feeds on flowers and nectar. The males mate when about 12 months old, but put so much effort into pursuing mates they usually die shortly after mating from exhaustion and starvation. The females can have as many as eight young, which will stay with their mother for about ten months.
So before getting the rat traps out, take a closer look at the creature and you may see you actually have a little native friend living with you.

Article by WCMN ranger, Wendy Murphy
(Descriptions taken from A Photographic Guide to Mammals of Australia by Ronald Strahan)

Nature Notes for July / August

The continuing damp weather has created interesting changes in the local vegetation. Green rock ferns are prolific in places and the small white flowers of early Nancy plants are out now. The flat scented sundews are almost overshadowed by the large white flowers they are currently displaying. Orchids are beginning to emerge now, particularly the Dwarf Greenhood.
An increasing variety of wattles are now flowering. In parts of the Wychitella nature conservation reserve stands of Bent Leaf wattle are flowering well, the widespread golden wattle is also very visible at present.
The native twining parasite plant Coarse Dodder – laurel (locally known as snoddy gobble) is increasing in mass and vigour at this time of year. Examples of this can be seen on trees lining the Calder highway.
Echidna activity seems to have increased judging by the amount of disturbed soil and ant nests in some forest areas. Rabbits also continue to disturb the ground. The increase in moisture has encouraged the proliferation of many weeds such as oxalis, bridal creeper and Patterson’s curse.
Observers of nature can expect to see different wildlife at different times of day. Late afternoon wanders in the bush have resulted in sightings of the Australian owlet Nightjar. Early morning and late afternoon are the times that kangaroos and wallabies are most commonly sighted. This month the WCMN has been involved with setting up sites to monitor kangaroo numbers. The sites are in bushland and open country.
There is a sense that spring is not far away with many plants getting ready to flower and birds increasingly active around nesting areas. Another member of our group reported sightings of forty different species of birds over a period of two days including: a hooded robin, a flame robin, a collared sparrowhawk, a tawny crowned honeyeater, a white fronted honeyeater, a black chinned honeyeater and a brown treecreeper. Keep your eyes open for nature’s indications of the changes in season and weather.

Article by the `Wedderburn Observers`

Land For Wildlife

You may have noticed green diamond shaped signs on some properties in the area with “Land For Wildlife” written on them. Land For Wildlife is voluntary wildlife conservation by landholders wishing to protect and enhance their properties for wildlife to use. Landholders can register their properties after which an Extension Officer will come out and assess the property before deciding whether it is suitable for approval and for a sign to be put up. Further information can be found by following the Land For Wildlife links on the DSE website – www.dse.vic.gov.au or by calling Terri Williams Land For Wildlife Extension Officer in Bendigo on 03 5430 4389.

Biolinks and Connectivity

On July 20th I attended a Biolinks Forum at Ballarat University. The topic of the Forum was “The importance of landscape scale conservation and the role of restoring connectivity in the landscape”. The guest speakers were Gavin McFadyen from the Wilderness Society Australia, Prof Michael Soule – Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz and Prof Peter Gell – Professor of Environmental Science and Director of the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of Ballarat.
The general overall theme was the need to create biolink connections between existing remnant vegetation whether it be on public or private land to allow the movement of animal and plant species and help the flow of genetics. These biolinks aren’t just on a local scale, but a whole landscape scale, which in ambitious cases involves state, country and even world scales.
The other theme was the need for whole of community support for connectivity projects. It’s all well and good proposing a project, but if the local community aren’t in favour then it is very unlikely to get off the ground. This is where networks are of great importance, whether they be CMN’s, Landcare groups, Field Nat’s groups, Friends Of groups etc or local landholders. Each group can be working on individual projects, but by linking up with other groups doing similar works the landscape scale biolinks can be achieved much more easily.
The one simple solution to protecting nature is connectivity and the need to overcome habitat fragmentation.
Article by Wendy Murphy

Nature Notes for June / July

The most welcome rain has had quite an effect on the local natural environment. Colour changes are very noticeable. The bright yellow of the prickly wattle, flowering in profusion at present, vivid green mosses are thick and spongy on rocks and previously bare ground. Lichens are re-hydrated and prolific, with beautiful grey and pale green colours. Some heavy dews have made the scented sundews obvious. Large patches of them are visible now; red and green, adorned with droplets of moisture and the sticky substance that helps them attract insects. The critically endangered spiny rice flower is flowering. Its tiny yellow flowers and small size bushes are difficult to spot from the roadside, in a location so close to paddocks in crop. The brightly coloured red capped robin is still regularly sighted, and in the same bush area a hooded robin has been seen a few times. Observing the behaviour of local wildlife can be an interesting and enlightening pastime. For example, two wedge tailed eagles, in flight, being harassed by crows and totally ignoring the crow's intrusion. Wood ducks can be observed in pairs flying from prospective nesting hollows in trees. The white winged choughs are gathering in very large, and sometimes very vocal, family groups. The moisture in the ground this year will make their task of building mud nests much easier than the last few years. Native mammals have adapted to live in conjunction with human habitation near their environment. The yellow footed antechinus sometimes lives around houses. A couple from near Wedderburn were pleased to have one positively identified and can relax now they know the small furry creature they have seen in the fernery is not a household rat. There is much to observe in our local natural environment. Enjoy the changes, particularly evident after the recent rain.
Nature Notes result from our members observing the environment as they go about their daily work or relax in their environment.

"WCMN Observers"

Ploughshare Wattle Discovery

A healthy stand of the rare Ploughshare Wattle, Acacia gunnii, was discovered during the first week of July by Alison Jeavons of Greenhouse Balanced. The stand included some 12 individuals of which two were flowering prolifically. Alison was busy seeding the new Greenhouse Balanced block wedged between the Skinners Flat and Woosang blocks of the Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve when she noticed the creamy colours of the flowers of the rare plants out of the corner of her eye.

The flowers look very much like the flower of the Spreading Wattle, Acacia genistifolia, which is also present at the block in large numbers. However, Alison noticed that the prostrate growing habits of the Ploughshare were very different and on closer inspection made the exciting identification.

There have only been two previous recordings of this species in our district, both in the Korong Vale block of the Wychitella NCR. Wedderburn is on the furthest north-western edge of the natural range of this plant, which occurs in all Eastern States but in very low numbers. The newly discovered stand will be protected as the revegetated Greenhouse Balanced blocks in Wedderburn are all covenanted through Trust for Nature. Good news for the long term survival of this species in our region.

Article and photograph by Jeroen van Veen

Native Species Use Revegetated Land

The earliest revegetation project in Old Boort Rd is showing encouraging signs that this project is bearing fruit in terms of its use by local birds for shelter and food foraging. This year the Spreading Wattle has already bloomed and the Golden Wattle, Wallowa, Grey Mulga, Mallee Wattle and Gold-dust Wattle are all heavily budded. These indigenous native plants were all part of the original vegetation of this land and all are regarded as important sources of seed for Mallee Fowls.
A variety of birds have been observed using this revegetated area including: the chestnut-rumped thornbill, the yellow- rumped thornbill, superb fairy wrens, willie wagtails, the restless flycatcher, jacky winter, variegated wrens, and the white browed babbler. Overall, very satisfying results to date.

Article by Doug Pocock

Getting Paid For Looking After Trees And Shrubs - adding value to your land

Carbon emissions trading is a hot topic these days and among all the smoke, mirrors and political tug of war around this subject it is difficult to obtain a proper understanding of what this kind of trading is all about and the logic behind it. The main principle to keep in mind is that the availability of clean air and a reduction in greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere is worth money to some people.
If the demand for clean air and species diversity gets high enough there will be a push for a trading system that includes not only carbon emissions, but also biodiversity and landscape conservation. A future where landholders get paid to manage parts of their land for conservation might sound like a farfetched fantasy of an overly optimistic environmentalist, but the fact is that in very small doses this is what is starting to happen already.
For the last few years the Victorian government has been running the Bush Broker scheme. This scheme brings together developers, power companies, road construction managers and others who need to clear native vegetation for their different projects, and landholders who own similar bits of bush. The state laws dictate that the land clearer needs to offset the vegetation losses by having similar land conserved. Through this Bush Broker scheme, landholders receive a negotiated payment to manage their remnant vegetation for conservation.
All landholders involved in deals so far report successful business. One striking detail emerging from this scheme is that the better condition natural bush is in, the more money it is worth, showing that good long-term management brings in more dollars down the track.
Stewardship payments for landholders or a broader biodiversity and carbon trading scheme might not be such a far flung fantasy after all
Another way money comes into the countryside for conservation work is through national non profit groups such as Bush Heritage Australia (BHA) or the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). Donors and members give money on the understanding this gets spent on the protection of land these organisations acquire.
Finally, a third stream of dollars finds its way from private businesses that benefit from having a clean, green image. These businesses and other organisations need to be able to tell their clients that they support the Plains Wanderer, Helmeted Honeyeater or the Bilby or that they are a company that is “carbon neutral”. The demand of the clients of these companies for clean and green products is big enough to result in millions of dollars going into conservation works on private land throughout Australia. As Wedderburn landholders we just need to become a lot more tuned in to these opportunities. There are currently some 36 broker firms operating in this national “voluntary offset” market of which only Greenhouse Balanced is active in the Wedderburn area.

Article by Jeroen Van Veen

The Release of Malleefowl at Wychitella, Where to from here?

On 4th August 2008 two young malleefowl (one male and one female) were released at Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve as part of the Wedderburn CMN`s ongoing drive towards conservation of biodiversity.
On arrival at the predetermined release site the birds were fitted with radio transmitters then released together. Birds were initially tracked each day for the first week and were to be tracked 2-3 times per week after the first week until the tracking devices ceased to function.
The female appeared agitated after release and quickly disappeared into the bush. The bird travelled considerable distances each day after release. On the fourth night it was located and food was left without disturbance. It was roosting on the ground. On the fifth night the bird was again located and found to be in a poor state. Food was left at the location. The bird was found dead the following night. The female body was sent for autopsy.
The male appeared unstressed at the release and walked slowly away. It was tracked and sighted close to roosting time 24 hours after release. It was then tracked and located at its roost site at night to enable the placement of food. Food was placed close to this roosting site and did disappear. The male stayed very close to this location for the following week which seemed to indicate that it was eating the food. At the roost site the male was found to be roosting in a bush only 1m from the ground. When located at a later time it was observed roosting some 2-3 m from the ground. Nine days after release the transmitter on the male ceased to function. The area was searched and no feathers were found. No feathers were found at subsequent checks within the foraging area and the male is assumed to be still alive. This assumption appeared to be substantiated by sightings of a juvenile bird made by Peter Watts some 4 months after the release (December Newsletter).
In view of the experience gained by the release of the birds the Wedderburn CMN has been in the process of reviewing plans for future releases. Advice has been sought upon possible contingency actions in response to unexpected circumstances such as those which did arise i.e. poor roosting and lack of foraging of at least one of the birds. The WCMN has taken heed of suggestions made from various agencies, academia and knowledgeable individuals. A future plan may involve considerations such as:
· The availability of a suitable fox proof enclosure for use in a soft release, or the case of possible intervention and housing of distressed birds. Possibly the birds could be hatched and released within 24 hours of hatching into such an enclosure built at the release location.
· Perhaps vitamin injections given before release.
· The next release being carried out with more birds to ensure a greater likelihood of some birds surviving.
· Improved tracking devices and a roster for tracking to allow both Parks Victoria staff and Wedderburn CMN members to work together to obtain and swap information about the bird locations.
· Obtaining a permit for release well in advance of the proposed release date.
The release experience has also raised questions best answered by future research.

This article is an abstract from a report by Peter Morison of DSE.

Endangered Orchid found at Nardoo Hills

We have confirmed the occurrence of a very rare orchid – the northern golden moths or Diuris protena – at Bush Heritage Australia’s Nardoo Hills reserves. The newly described orchid was listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act in 2007, and is only found in Victoria where it is classified as endangered. The orchid was first discovered and described in 2006 in the grasslands of Terrick Terrick National Park c.60 km to the north-east of the Nardoo Hills. Although a number of populations have been recorded from grassy remnants in recent years, many sites are very small and vulnerable to a range of threats. The Nardoo Hills population of over 400 plants is the largest in Australia, and occurs in species-rich grassy yellow box woodland on the slopes of Mount Kerang.
Bush Heritage’s ecologist David Baker-Gabb first spotted the orchid last year and alerted Deanna Marshall, Senior Flora Officer with the Department of Sustainability and Environment. They then had to wait for the plant to flower again before it could be collected and formally confirmed. The wait was worth it, says Deanna. ‘It’s a really significant find because of the population size and because it’s on secure land.’ The discovery is very good news for the orchid’s long- term survival.
The presence of the orchid at Nardoo Hills suggests that restoration work at the reserve is really paying off. As Bush Heritage ecologist Paul Foreman says, ‘I’m sure all that rabbit and weed control work done by David Baker-Gabb, Jeroen Van Veen and many volunteers has had something to do with it.’ Previously grazing by rabbits and stock would have restricted flowering and therefore threatened the orchid’s long-term survival on the property.
Discussions with the Victorian Herbarium indicate that the likely pollinator for the orchid is a native bee that also pollinates bulbine lilies that are similar in size and colour to the orchid. Bulbine lilies are widespread across the Nardoo Hills.
The Victorian Herbarium is keen to collect seed from the population as a contribution to the Millennium Seed Bank Project. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, UK, are running the project, which aims to conserve 10 per cent of the world’s wild plant species by 2010 – concentrating on the ‘rarest, most threatened and most useful species known to man’.

This article has been reproduced with the kind permission of the editor of the Newsletter of Australian Bush Heritage.

American Conservation Volunteers Lend a Hand

On Thursday May 28th I had the pleasure of supervising 9 American Conservation Volunteers inject wheel cactus at Mt Egbert. Previous to their injecting work they had been conducting malleefowl mound searches in the Wychitella Block and were very grateful to be in more open country doing something different.
The day started out with a talk by Ranger Suzie Deason on the history of the wheel cactus in the Wychitella area, the processes involved in injecting wheel cactus and the safety measures required.
In bright sunshine the group was let loose in a set area to “destroy” as many wheel cactus as they could find. The enthusiasm was quite a sight to see with some heading off in “Terminator” style while others took a more passive approach. A couple of them actually had a race to see who could get to the first cactus after it was spotted about 100m away.
About an hour and a half in to the injecting while having a break as a group it was discovered that we had misplaced one of the volunteers, so a search party was sent out to locate him. Thankfully he was quickly found and the group returned to the top of Mt Egbert for lunch.
The afternoon session was taken a little more slowly with the morning enthusiasm wanning greatly. About an hour was spent injecting a few more cactus before a group decision was made to call it a day. Many of the volunteers were almost asleep as soon as they got on the bus. But it was a great effort and many cacti will be turning their toes up.

Wendy Murphy, WCMN Ranger

Photo Point Monitoring in Progress

Five members of the Wedderburn CMN recently attended a photography workshop at the Daylesford Learning Centre with the intention of improving their skills in photo point monitoring of the environment within our focus area.
Photographs, well taken and documented, provide an excellent record of environmental change. Photo point monitoring is a standardized procedure used by environmental authorities worldwide for documenting both spatial and temporal environmental change. The camera, when used in this way, is recognized as an important scientific tool. Group members found the workshop helped in understanding camera operation and the techniques and principles essential to obtaining valid results. The workshop was attended by about fifteen people from various backgrounds: environmental managers, landholders, members of Landcare groups, environmentalists and also two archeologists keen to utilize the technique in their work. As well as theory there was also an outdoor activity where we could try out our new found skills and knowledge. Overall, this was a very useful and informative day enjoyed by all.
Following on from Michael’s report, I have been putting into motion some of the points we were shown at the Photo Point Monitoring Workshop. So far two sites have been monitored using photos taken from set points. The first site is the Korong Bushland Reserve and the second site is the trial ecological thinning site at Doug Pocock’s property. As more works occur in other areas, photo monitoring points will be set up there also to record the progress of the site and the works.

Article by Wendy Murphy and Michael Moore

Wedderburn CMN Observations

“Nature Notes” For April and May - L and A

During the months of April and May bird sightings have been predominant, mostly due to emerging food sources for local birds. Almost bare paddocks have been visited by flocks of red-rumped parrots seen feeding on the ground while the sound and sight of very large flocks of corellas are noticeable in the early mornings. Eucalypts that are currently in flower are attracting the noisy flocks of brilliant green and red musk lorikeets and another brightly coloured bird, the male red capped robin, has been sighted recently. His brilliant red forehead and chest contrasting with a white front and black back draws attention to his movements in spite of his small size. The chattering of restless flycatchers and their incessant activity makes these scenes most entertaining to observe.
A few pairs of southern white face have been observed feeding on grass seeds, decreased numbers of these birds have been seen in recent months. Wedge-tailed eagles have also been sighted feeding on animal carcasses such as dead sheep in paddocks and dead wallabies in the bush.
On one of our walks we encountered a young stumpy-tailed lizard, about half grown, basking in the sun under a low bush, it responded to our disturbance with an impressive threat display. Mistletoe in large volumes on trees at the edge of the forest has been changing colour, the leaves turning to a rusty red. Ruby Salt bush at this time of year has abundant red fruit ( sometimes orange or yellow). After the rain there has been a proliferation in growth of twining fringe lilies now beginning to look like a thick piece of green cotton reaching up to climb onto whatever they can.Young quandong trees have also been showing healthy growth in recent months in spite of the drought, but many will be eaten off by kangaroos and wallabies before they can grow much higher. Unfortunately scratched and disturbed areas of soil are indicating an increasing amount of rabbit activity in the native vegetation. There are lots to observe in our focus area.

Photograph by Lynton Schreiver of a tree goanna.

What are Conservation Management Networks

A CMN is a network of sites with native vegetation. A CMN is also a network of people who work together to protect and restore these sites, and also work to expand and link them across the landscape. Members of a CMN include interested private landholders, managers of remnant vegetation on public land, and other interested community members.The people in a CMN focus on a local ecological community – or a group of plants and animals that coexist in nature – such as rainforest, native grassland or woodland. Members work to protect threatened species like the endangered Bush Stonecurlew, Striped Legless Lizard, Malleefowl, and the vulnerable Powerful Owl.
Australia is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world. Most of our native plants and animals only occur here, and many of these are found on private land.CMNs are busy on both public and private land with site-based activities like revegetation, and addressing landscape-wide problems like tree die-back, weeds and foxes. Community education is also an important CMN activity. The community has a strong say in deciding the activities of the CMN.

CMNs work closely with local Landcare, government agencies and nongovernment organizations.
Nature doesn’t know the difference between public and privately-owned land, so conserving biodiversity needs cooperation between private landholders, public agencies and the broader community. In Australia, Conservation Management Networks (CMNs) have been used since the mid-1990s as an effective way to bring these groups together.
This description of CMN`s has been quoted from the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria, Australia.

The Malleefowl - Flagship Species of the Wedderburn CMN

The malleefowl Leipoa ocellata is found exclusively on mainland Australia and is a member of the megapode family. Megapodes are unique in the world. They do not use their body heat to incubate the eggs like most other birds; rather, the eggs are buried in a mound then incubated by external heat sources. Malleefowl use the heat generated by decomposing leaf litter and the sun to heat their mounds, and constantly manipulate the soil depth and mound shape to regulate the temperature. Amazingly, despite a wide range of day and night temperatures over the seasons, malleefowl are able to keep their egg chambers at a constant temperature.The malleefowl is listed as a nationally endangered species in Australia.

The Weather and the Malleefowl – Peter Watts
Like the farmers they like an early break in the weather to commence their nest preparation for the breeding season. In a good year i.e. May or June break in the weather they will dig out a mound and start scratching up material for a nest, later to be scratched into the mound which is completed in September. This year (2008) the two pairs of malleefowls found in the Wychitella area only started scratching up material a few days before the break in early August, very late. But this activity is needed for there has been very few eggs laid in the last eight years, in some of these years none.

The Focus Area of the Wedderburn Conservation Management Network

The Wedderburn CMN’s focus area is of high conservation value with more than 25% vegetation cover in the Wedderburn/Wychitella area. There are also large areas of cleared and semi-cleared land with scattered blocks of bush and remnant vegetation on public and private land. It is a highly fragmented landscape caused by past land clearing for agriculture, mining, eucalyptus oil production and subdivision for housing. The focus covers an area of approximately 170,000 ha between the townships of Wedderburn and Wychitella, in the North Central Catchment area of the state of Victoria, Australia (see Map). The area includes fragmented public land blocks and freehold properties important for conservation of Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands. Members of the Wedderburn CMN were instrumental in the purchase of the 245 ha Nardoo Hills Reserve by Bush Heritage Australia, Australia’s largest nonprofit private land conservation organisation.

Koorong Bushland Reserve - Wendy Murphy, Wedderburn CMN Ranger

The Koorong Bushland Reserve is located on the corner of the Calder Highway and Roberts Rd almost opposite to Mt Korong. It is only just over 4 Ha in size, but is of great significance in the surrounding fragmented landscape. It is a very important representative of the Plains Woodland (endangered) / Grassy Woodland (vulnerable) vegetation community. It has unsurpassed ground layer quality with very few weeds and high species diversity. It has particularly good populations of Arthropodium fimbiratum, or the Nodding Chocolate-lily, but I guess most concern for the Wedderburn CMN is the plantings of the nationally threatened Olearia pannossa spp cardiophylla, or the Velvet-daisy Bush - see photograph top right. There is only one known plant of this species in the whole Wedderburn CMN area, which is found a short distance away.
In early December of last year, road works were occurring along a vast stretch of the Calder Highway between Wedderburn and Inglewood. Unfortunately Vic Roads made a mistake in writing out their open stack site numbers in the contract, (where road base and screenings are stored before use), which caused their contractors to use the Koorong Bushland Reserve. This site has been closed for many, many years, but was used by heavy machinery and trucks over a period of about a week. This caused severe compaction of the area where the screenings were placed and also damage to some of the surrounding vegetation. Fortunately though, none of the Velvet-daisy Bush plantings were harmed.

But due to Vic Roads’ error in writing the contract, they were willing to survey the damage and assist in repairing any damage.
In March I organised a meeting between their two Environmental Officers, Jade Logie of Parks Victoria Inglewood and myself. After discussing our concerns and what we would like seen done, Vic Roads agreed to pay for the ripping of the damaged area and to revegetate it. It was hoped that they may also pay to fence the Reserve, but they didn’t feel that was necessary. So in the near future you will see works being done in this small, seemingly insignificant patch of bush, probably one you have never taken much notice of before, but hopefully now that you know of its importance you will look at it in a whole new light.
Thanks must go to Richard Goonan of DSE, David Martin and Jade Logie of Parks Victoria and the Vic Roads representatives for their time and input into this situation.

Melbourne volunteers at the Nardoo Hills - Jeroen van Veen

With winter approaching, so do busier times at our area’s reserves. Not only do the native plants and animals spring to life once (or should that read “if”?) the rains arrive, so do the rabbits and the weeds. Rabbits start breeding as soon as there are the first green shoots on the ground and weeds pop up quicker than many of the natives.
At the Bush Heritage reserve in the Nardoo Hills there is one big extra weapon in the fight against the weeds: Volunteers. Bush Heritage Australia recruits volunteers for many of its reserves nationwide. They have an extensive list of members who contribute through regular fees and donations, but also through labour. At the more remote and larger reserves in outback Queensland or Western Australia volunteers usually work in small teams for spells of a week or longer, but at the Nardoo Hills the arranged volunteer weekends are usually two days, with an early finish on Sunday so people can still make it back home comfortably.
This year there will be six volunteer weekends with all of them booked out well in advance. The Nardoo Hills reserve is a popular destination for Bush Heritage volunteers as it is one of the few reserves within one day’s drive from Melbourne, where most come from. The main jobs they will be engaged in is weed control (Patterson’s Curse, Wheel Cactus and Horehound), fence maintenance, wildlife monitoring and tree planting, but the team supervisor makes sure there is also some time for a bit of bird or wildflower watching.
The first of this winter’s weekends will be at the end of April. The managers of the Nardoo Hills reserve are looking forward to welcoming these hard workers back for another season. Without them the task of bringing some of the runaway weeds under control would be so much harder. Also, some of the volunteers have been coming back for quite a number of years now and it is good catching up.

Ecological Thinning – Peter Morison

A trial research project involving ecological thinning of mallee is soon to happen on private property on the Old Boort Rd. The aim is to improve the quality of the vegetation by allowing understorey species to grow. Many mallee areas that were formerly cleared have regrown as pure eucalypt stands with no understorey present - see photograph. The absence of understorey plants reduces the value of the bushland to fauna species such as malleefowl. Ecological thinning in this case involves the cutting and poisoning of some of the mallee resulting in a reduction or thinning of the mallee thus allowing space for understory plants to come through.