'Golden Whistler Reserve'

Never heard of ‘Golden Whistler Reserve’ in Drouin? That’s probably because it is the informal name used by the Friends of Drouin’s Trees for a narrow strip of bushland between the Drouin golf course in McGlone Rd and the Princes Freeway and it only appears on some maps, ingloriously, as ‘Public Purposes Reserve’.

Click on images to open in a larger window

This narrow strip bush consists of some remnant woodland, understorey and planted vegetation is one of the nearest places to urban Drouin where the beautiful Golden Whistler can be found. Golden Whistlers are a canopy bird that have a cheerful whistling song (click to hear) mostly heard in spring and summer.

Other interesting birds that can be spotted at times in this noisy, narrow patch of bush on our doorstep, include the Olive-backed Oriole, White-throated Treecreeper, Mistletoebird, Eastern Yellow Robin and the Spotted Pardalote. Bird surveys conducted by the Friends of Drouin’s Trees usually record around 30 different species of birds in ‘Golden Whistler Reserve’.

Clockwise from top left: Spotted Pardalote, Olive-backed Oriole, Eastern Yellow Robin, Mistletoebird and White-throated Treecreeper

The endemic Red Fruit Saw-sedge grows in the western end of the reserve and is a favourite food plant for many insect species, including the Swordgrass Brown butterfly. Swordgrass Browns are endemic to Australia. They like to flutter slowly in patches of sunlight, perching frequently.

During the winter months you can sometimes spot tiny Nodding Greenhood Orchids poking up between the bracken and the wiregrass. Nodding Greenhoods are members of the terrestrial Greenhood Orchid family of which Victoria has around sixty species, many of which are struggling to survive due to land clearing for urban development, agricultural and forestry industries, etc. 

Once the lockdown due to this dreadful Covid-19 virus is over, a walk through Golden Whistler Reserve would be one simple celebration you may find rewarding.