Victorian Mallee Fowl Recovery Group Line Search, Powerline Track, Murray Sunset National Park

On Sunday 1^st August we joined members of VMRG to conduct a line search of an 2 square km area which had been burned in 2008.

The search was well organised with teams of 9-10 people covering a 2km grid. Conservation and Land Management students from Sunraysia TAFE also participated. The searching through mallee country that had been burnt two years ago was relatively easy, with some challenging walking in diagonal directions over sand dunes. I could not resist comparing carrying out the same task in our local area, which is much more densely vegetated country. Existing tagged mounds were found. At least three emu nests were also located, some with eggs.

A hearty lunch, provided by the Nangiloc and District Kindergarten, gave us sustenance for the afternoon search, which was in some unburnt country and was more difficult terrain.

The day was an enlightening experience. It gave us the opportunity to participate in a well organised and coordinated search, with adequate numbers of volunteers and ample safety and data recording equipment. It also allowed us to assist in gathering of valuable information regarding the effect of bushfire on Malleefowl population.

Article by Annette Robertson and Lynton Schriever

Photograph of emu eggs - Annette Robertson

Location, location, location

Do malleefowl prefer a position with an open view to the south, or a nice shrubby backyard to the east? Is there a reason why one particular mound is used more often than another mound? Is vegetation structure and quality a limiting factor to where malleefowl will live? These are some of the questions we are trying to answer with our current vegetation surveys.

In 2007 surveys were done at 5 malleefowl mounds in the Wychitella NCR- 2 in the Skinners Flat block, 2 in the Wychitella block and 1 in the Wedderburn block as well as one mound on private property. The mounds range from being currently active, active within the last 5-10 years and long inactive. The method of the surveys is in two parts. The first survey is based on vegetation structure whereby a 50m tape is laid out and at every 50cm a 2m pole is placed and all vegetation touching that pole is recorded including the ground layer and the canopy above. This method gives an indication of the make up of the ground cover, understorey and canopy around the mound. This is then repeated at all four compass points.

The second method is where along the 50m line two 10m square blocks are measured up at the 20-30m point and the 40-50m point. One 1m square block is also set up within these two 10m square blocks. In both the 10m and 1m squared blocks every species is recorded and the number of each of the species is counted.

By comparing the results of the current surveys with the 2007 results it is hoped that we can get a better picture of why malleefowl choose to use one mound over another. It may be the structure of the surrounding vegetation providing better protection or it may be the mixture of species meaning a better supply of quality food, i.e. fungi, berries and insects.

The mound on private property has been completed and the remaining mound surveys will be occurring in the coming weeks. These will be followed by vegetation surveys in the kangaroo exclosure plots and 50m structure surveys in the Wychitella NCR. If you are interested in helping please let me know. Knowledge of plant species is not essential, but would be helpful, but there are some difficult working conditions involved.

Article by Wendy Murphy, WCMN Ranger, Photograph - Peter Watts

Nature Notes for July

Last month it was exciting to find a few specimens of basket fungi. They have been uncommonly seen in the area for many years. However, this month, there are so many of these fungi in places they could almost be described as “common”. The wetter conditions have certainly started to impact on the local vegetation, particularly now producing lots of interesting and colourful fungi.

An unusual bird sighting was a Buff banded rail. Unfortunately the bird was found as road kill on the Calder Highway just out of Wedderburn. This is a ground dwelling bird that normally inhabits swamps and wet grasslands. Another indication, that wetter conditions are creating changes in our local biodiversity.

Many birds have been seen gathering nesting material. Striated Pardalotes have been making noisy inspections of nesting boxes and prospective nesting sites. Honeyeaters have been observed wrestling with twiggy bushes to remove small sticks for their nest, and magpies flying to nesting trees with beaks full of wool.

An increasing number of plants are beginning to flower now. The Rosy Baeckea is particularly bright pink this year, with masses of flowers on small bushes. Some other flowers recently seen locally are: Early Nancy, Tiny Stars, Dwarf Greenhood orchids, Rice flowers, and of course the wattles, (Bentleaf, Ploughshare, Spreading and Golden in flower at present).

Observing our natural environment is only one of the activities enjoyed by members of the Wedderburn Conservation Management Network. If you would like to find out more about our Network visit : wedderburncmnnews.blogspot.com.

Wedderburn Conservation Management Network “Observers”

Photograph attached shows WCMN “Observer” taking photographic record of Rosy Baeckea in flower.

Wedderburn CMN and Box Gum Grassy Woodlands / Buloke Woodlands

The White Box, Yellow Box and Blakelys Red Gum grassy woodlands and Buloke woodlands are nationally endangered ecological communities and are listed under the EPBC act. These woodlands occur as scattered remnants across the Wedderburn area (see map below for indication of locations) Population isolation has increased the probability that environmental fluctuations will indeed lead to increasing local extinction of certain species. For this reason alone it is necessary to act.

The overall goal of this current WCMN project is to increase the area of White Box, Yellow Box and Blakelys Red Gum grassy Woodlands and Buloke woodlands and to provide long term protection and connectivity of these existing woodlands within the region. This project aims to reduce the threat of fragmentation, especially in the face of climate change, by protecting existing remnants, wherever possible by providing buffers with revegetation and the connection of remnants through linkages with new vegetation. Other threats this project aims to address are overgrazing of these woodlands through stock control fencing, landholder agreements to exclude stock and the management of rabbit and weed infestations.
The Buloke woodlands are at particular risk from grazing as all natural regeneration is immediately eaten by stock, rabbits and kangaroos/wallabies. Ongoing Kangaroo/wallaby and rabbit monitoring and management will alleviate the impacts of overgrazing on woodland remnants allowing natural regeneration to improve species diversity and recruitment of new Buloke seedlings.
In all this project will involve 200 hectares of remnant White Box, Yellow Box and Blakelys Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Buloke Woodland communities protected by June 30, 2013. Also 120 Hectares of Box Gum Grassy Woodland and Buloke Woodland communities enhanced with understorey and grass species to improve quality of remnants by June 30, 2013. Landholders and land managers within the Wedderburn CMN’s area of interest who wish to apply for assistance in the protection of these species on their land are invited to apply to the Wedderburn CMN, contact details are supplied below.

Descriptions of species

YELLOW BOX (Eucalyptus melliodora) Widely distributed in Victoria and New South Wales, especially on the inland side of the Dividing Range, yellow box is perhaps one of the best-known eucalypts and one which could be considered a very Australian tree. This is a species of the open forest and savannah woodland, where the trees grow far enough apart to develop large, spreading crowns and to cast a welcome shade in the hot, summer days.

Yellow box is a very useful tree, providing excellent firewood, hard, strong, durable timber, and honey which is renowned for its quality. It flowers pro­fusely throughout the summer, although some years are much better than others. The botanical name means 'honey-scented' and is obviously appropriate.

The amount of bark retained on the trunk varies from tree to tree. Some trees are almost completely smooth with small, irregular streaks of dark and light grey; others have hard, black, scaly bark to the large branches. Most commonly, however, yellow box has a yellow-brown, sub-fibrous and rather friable bark on the trunk and large branches, while the small branches are smooth, white, cream or grey. The crown may be bright green, dull grey or almost blue.

Contacts: WCMN Ranger, Wendy Murphy - 0438384053

WCMN’s DSE Facilitator, Alison Jeavons - 54304567

Illustrations used in this series of articles have been copied from the book "Eucalypts" by Stan Kelly

WCMN's Box Gum Grassy Woodlands Project

Areas where remnant box gum grassy woodlands / buloke woodlands are likely to occur.

WHITE BOX (Eucalyptus albens)

E. albens has an appropriate name, for it gives the impression of being a white tree, although when examined more closely, few of its features are really white. Perhaps the closest is the inflorescence, for the long buds with sharply conic opercula, and the stalks, are covered with a white, powdery wax. The twigs and leaves are also white to grey-green, and the closely adherent, finely fibrous bark is light grey-brown or very pale grey. Seen from a distance, the pale trunk and silver crown are very distinctive.

The rounded crown and large, rather broadly lanceolate leaves give an appearance of solidity to the tree, and the shade it casts is quite dense. This is a good shade and shelter tree in its native environment, which includes much of the wheatlands of New South Wales, along the western side of the Dividing Range, and in the upper Hunter River valley; to the south it extends into the northern part of Victoria and has a limited occurrence in South Australia.

White box occurs on fairly rich, well-drained soils of both igneous and sedimentary origin. It grows to over eighty feet in height, often with a bole about half the height of the tree. It is moderately resistant to frost and drought, and flowers from late summer sometimes into winter.

WCMN's Box Gum Grassy Woodlands Project

Areas where remnants of box gum grassy woodlands / buloke woodlands are likely to occur.

BLAKELY'S RED GUM (Eucalyptus blakelyi)

Blakely's red gum is typically a savannah woodland species growing with boxes and ironbarks over an extensive area along the western slopes of the Dividing Range in New South Wales, with exten­sions in Victoria and Queensland.

Growing in open formation, it usually has a rather short, irregular trunk and a dense, rounded crown. The bark is shed in irregular patches which vary in colour from almost white to dark grey, and as the leaves have a dull, greyish colour, the general effect is a rather sombre one. Under cultivation, E. blakelyi grows more rapidly and can be an attractive tree. It stands frosts, drought and wind comparatively well and is a useful tree for areas of twenty to thirty inch rainfall. It is also possibly salt-tolerant, and flowers from August to December.

The Naturally Loddon Festival

(3 August 2010) The Loddon Shire, in collaboration with local partner agencies, is driving the inaugural Loddon Nature Tourism Festival entitled Naturally Loddon: A Wonderland in Spring, to be held throughout September-October this year.

The festival is an objective of the Nature Tourism Advisory Team with the aim to bring more people to the area, and to pull together new and existing key environmental events to market under the one umbrella.

“We essentially wanted to promote our beautiful environment and to highlight the biodiversity, natural assets and cultural heritage of the Loddon Shire – and in doing so it will enable all of our partner agencies within the area to get greater exposure by marketing their individual activities as part of a festival, rather than simply running incidental events during this time,” said Mrs. Vella.

“Many local events occur during the spring, so the timing seemed right to get everyone on board to come together, working as with a “whole-of” approach, and each event would benefit from the additional publicity,” she said.

These thoughts are echoed by Loddon Shire Councilor, Christine Brooke, who helped instigate and encourage the establishment of the festival.

“We formed a working group early this year, bringing together agencies such as the North Central Catchment Management Authority, Parks Victoria, local Landcare groups and environmental networks, various government departments, and community organisations such as the YMCA,” explained Cr Brooke.

“The group has worked tirelessly in pulling together events to add to the festival calendar. Each organisation still organises and runs their own events, although now with much greater support and subsequent exposure.”

The festival is aimed at all age groups and incorporates the popular annual Kooyoora Wildflower show, along with a variety of fun, interactive and educational events such as bushwalking, tree planting, bird watching, photography, canoeing and bike riding – as well as highlighting areas of Indigenous and European cultural significance – all showcasing the great Loddon outdoors.

“We have just released a brochure outlining of festival schedule, and a calendar of events is available from the Loddon Shire website, along with contact information relevant to each event,” said Mrs. Vella.

“We would like to encourage everyone to have a look at what is on offer and come along to one or several events. Many activities are being held during the school holiday period and the majority are free for the whole family to enjoy.

The festival will be held from 4 September to 3 October this year, with the official inaugural launch to be held on Friday 10 September at the Loddon Visitor Information Centre. For a brochure or further information, including a full program of events, visit www.loddon.vic.gov.au or telephone the Loddon Visitor Information Centre on 03 5494 3489.

For further information please contact:

Robyn Vella - Loddon Shire Tourism Manager

(03) 54941200, mobile 0428448390 email rvella@loddon.vic.gov.au

www.loddon.vic.gov.au

Or
Christine Taylor – Marketing and Events Coordinator

North Central Catchment Management Authority

t: 03 5440 1870,

m: 0448 103 266

e: christine.taylor@nccma.vic.gov.au

w: www.nccma.vic.gov.au