Frogs

We have had a couple encounters with the curiously named Pobblebonk or Eastern Banjo frogs.  It is not uncommon to find these frogs buried in the soil in our vegie garden. These frogs breed in the nearby dam (and they certainly do a lot of loud calling when we get rain).  Several beautiful specimens were unearthed during the process of harvesting a bed of potatoes, then a few days later we found another swimming in a sheep water trough.

Hot weather has prompted the yellow gums to shed last year’s bark.  The trees look very stunning now with smooth pale trunks. Hot weather has implications for wildlife as well.  Once the temperature exceeds 35 degrees the birds begin to take shelter under the decking of our widest verandah.  We have seen ten magpies at once sheltering there. It is also a favourite spot for blue wrens.    In the late afternoon, after a hot day, sizeable groups of very colourful Eastern Rosellas are enjoying feeding on seed on the dry ground.

Plenty of people are reporting sightings of reptiles and unusually large numbers of goannas have been seen in the area.  We have had a few encounters with eastern brown snakes.

Bushfires bring some opportunities.  During recent fires, we noticed the smoke was preceded by a large group of wood swallows which appeared to be feeding on insects borne on the wind from the fire.

We have had a small rabbit around our garden.  An unwanted pest.  Last week we found half a small rabbit, something had eaten it.  We have seen three foxes in the daytime over the past fortnight.  We may have been pleased to find half a rabbit, but not so pleased to find a large pile of wood duck feathers near the dam.

Biodiversity in nature is demonstrated in many ways.  Look at your own place and see what you can come up with.

Wedderburn Conservation Management Network “Observers” - photograph of "Pobblebonk" or "Eastern Banjo" frog

WCMN Christmas Event – Bats of the Wedderburn Area

Nytophilus geoffroyi 2

The WCMN’s 2012 Christmas event took place on Wednesday 5 December 2012 at the Empire State Hotel in Inglewood.  Dinner was followed by a presentation about bats by Micaela Jemison, a bat ecologist from DSE’s Arthur Rylah Institute in Heidelberg.  Micaela is the protégé of renowned bat expert Dr Lindy Lumsden.  

The 33 people who came along raved about the quality and diversity of Micaela’s presentation, and were captivated by George Junior, the tiny Southern Freetail Bat that Micaela brought along for people to meet.  Micaela explained the main differences between microbats (suborder Microchiroptera) - which are the main focus of her work - and the larger bat species such as flying foxes.  She also discussed the different types of microbats such tubenoses, long-eared and freetail bats, and how they navigate using echolocation.  Participants particularly enjoyed learning about local species such as the Lesser Long-eared and Gould’s Long-eared bats, and the Chocolate Wattled Bat.

Feedback from participants indicates that they would be interested in a follow up workshop or field day on bats, especially identifying and improving habitat. 

Session participants captivated by George Junior, the tiny Southern Freetail Bat 

Article and photographs by Karly Learmonth – WCMN Facilitator

Humidity brings butterflies

A humid morning, makes walking in the bush a little slower, but in nature the humidity also brings on an enormous amount of activity with butterflies and moths.  We encountered two orchid butterflies just beside the white line on the Calder Highway.  Wonder how long they would stay there with vehicles passing by at 100km an hour? 

Leaving the highway we proceeded down a bush track and immediately began to notice many different and very active butterflies and moths.  We observed five different species in the space of a few hundred metres. Of course we were keen to take photographs of every different moth or butterfly, but they were so active we soon gave up on this rather difficult task.  Spotting so many different insects compensated for the rather uncomfortable weather conditions during an hour’s walk.

Increase in humidity and insects has also increased the activities of birds and much entertainment can be had watching birds catching insects on the wing. Some non-indigenous plants such as bracelet honey myrtle are flowering in profusion near our garden.  We have counted up to ten different insects feasting on the nectar at one time.

In the forest spring is certainly over, but a few late flowering plants are still evident such as the locally common broom bush. With no rain, the ground is dry and animal tracks are easily seen on the ground.  As we set off on our morning walk we often see tracks of goannas, birds, snakes, lizards and at present a lot of hares.  It’s always an interesting start to contemplate what creatures have passed along this track since the last time we were there.

So once again walks in the natural environment continue to provide diverse and interesting observations, which any one can do.

Wedderburn Conservation Management Network “Observers”

Photograph of Orchard butterflies on bitumen road (Calder Highway)

Interdependent Fauna and Flora in the Wedderburn environs

Mistletoe is often regarded as a parasite of shrubs and trees however Mistletoe produces its energy through photosynthesis and functions only in a semi-parasitic mode.  Continuing studies are demonstrating the importance of mistletoe for biodiversity in degraded bushland. (Watson D. M. & Herring M 2006)

Too often we see the wonders of fauna or flora as isolated observations and miss the complexity and beauty of the co-evolutionary relationships.  Mistletoe is a good example to illustrate some of these inter-dependencies.

At least four species of Mistletoe occur around the Wedderburn/Mount Korong locality and one, the Grey Mistletoe Amyema quandang can be seen on Cootamundra Wattle Acacia bayleania in gardens around Wedderburn and is common on Dean’s Wattle Acacia deanei ssp. paucijuga and Wallowa Acacia euthycarpa around Mount Korong.  Images in Figs 1 to 10 were taken near Mt. Korong and Wedderburn by D. Stewart.

The flower structure of Mistletoe is designed to transfer pollen to and from the head of visiting honeyeaters such as New Holland Honeyeaters Fig 3. commonly seen attending the flowers.   Mistletoe Birds follow the fruiting cycle of mistletoe species and consume the fruit.  The digestive system of Mistletoe Birds is modified to facilitate rapid transit of ingested fruit and the bird’s behavior is adapted to increase the chance of seed falling to a suitable growth position on a host plant.   These birds perch atop the host tree and frequently turn parallel to the perch twig prior to voiding the seed which emerges like a necklace of pearls, to slowly drip down through the foliage Fig 4.

Figs 5 to 10 illustrate some of the Lepidoptera dependent on mistletoe as the food plant for their larvae.

Fig 10 is of an Ogyris butterfly whose larvae are dependent on the attendance by certain ant species.  The butterfly has brilliant iridescent metallic blue upper wing surfaces that flash in the sunlight and are hidden from view as the insect keeps wings together when purchased on the mistletoe.

The obvious thought to ponder when considering these examples of interdependent associations is which species is dependent on which other species for ongoing function of this component of the ecosystem?

Article – D. Stewart

Images in Figs 1 to 10 were taken near Mt. Korong and Wedderburn by D. Stewart.

WCMN Guest Speaker Evening – Dr Linda Broadhurst, CSIRO

On 22 August 2012 the WCMN hosted a guest speaker evening at the Empire State Hotel in Inglewood.  Dr Linda Broadhurst, a research scientist from CSIRO in Canberra spoke to the group about seed genetics and seed provenance in revegetation jobs. 

The event was a great success, with 25 people attending.  Participants spoke highly of the presentation, with several commenting that the content was “complex but clear”.  As well as discussing how genetic diversity comes about, Linda provided several case studies of Victorian species, and provided useful and practical advice to participants about local issues.  Some of the key messages of the evening were:

-          It is hard to do irreparable damage when carrying out revegetation works.

-          Large trees are important reservoirs of genetic diversity in the landscape.

-          When collecting seed, harvest over several successive years, and from all sides of the canopy.  Blend seed from successive years together to improve genetic diversity in revegetation jobs.

-          Strong evolutionary forces such as saline soils, or particularly wet or dry climates cause local adaptation – if these strong selective pressures are not present in your area, bringing in new species to boost the gene pool can be a good thing in revegetation.

-          Create a buffer zone around revegetation sites if pollution of the gene pool is a concern – ask yourself “is it better to get these plants back in the landscape?”  Assess the risk, and be aware that cross-pollination may occur.

-          When working in very high conservation significance sites, be more cautious about mixing provenance than you would be when working with a degrading remnant of lesser conservation significance.

There was strong feedback from participants that they would like a follow up workshop on seed collection and treatment.  This will be arranged for sometime over the coming months.

Article and photograph - Karly Learmonth  

Which Birds use the Wedderburn Landscape – Saturday 8 September

Fifteen participants attended the Bird watching event of the Naturally Loddon, A Wonderland in Spring Festival.   Very windy weather was not the best environment for bird watching, but during the course of the day a substantial list was noted, numerous species having been heard, but not seen.  The morning activity was held at Doug Pocock’s property which offers a variety of different habitats for birds.  We split into two groups, went different directions, and then met later to compare sightings.  Over the lunch break Michael presented a brief outline of the WCMN, its area and activities. The afternoon was spent at Mt Kerang bush heritage property.  Jeroen described many species that are found on the property, and the keen eyes of the students spotted the painted button quail, a significant sighting.

This was a successful day of bird watching, in spite of less than favourable conditions for this activity.  We did gain an insight into what birds do actually use the Wedderburn Landscape.

Article and photograph - Annette Robertson

The Wedderburn CMN area of interest

A question frequently asked by interested people is “just how big is the Wedderburn CMN’s area of interest”. The map and accompanying information given above will give some idea of the current scope of on-ground network projects.