Merry Christmas Blue Spruce

December 2023

May 2024

December 2024

Here's hoping

Drouin bird surveys

Birds are great bioindicators; the numbers and species of birds can tell us a lot about how healthy an ecosystem is.

Dusky Woodswallow

Birds are easy to see (generally), their ecological characteristics are usually well understood and their responses to seasonal and climate changes are obvious. Numbers and species of birds are used around the world to assess the effects of climate change, urban expansion, ecosystem contamination, deforestation and more.

The Friends of Drouin’s Trees conducts two bird surveys annually, in spring and autumn. The surveys are conducted over seven core sites and several supplementary sites. Spring and autumn are chosen to capture the migratory species that arrive at those times – for example cuckoos, reed warblers (and others) in spring and in autumn we get the robins, currawongs (plus others).

Willie Wagtail and companion

Each site is surveyed twice - a week or two apart - to help record the dispersive or nomadic species present.

Distant Great Crested Grebe

Results are uploaded to our website, Baw Baw Biodiversity and to the Bird Life Australia’s Bird Data website.

Table: list of species - spring 2024

This spring’s surveys have been completed and resulted in a total of 83 native species being recorded. Some interesting sightings included: Latham’s Snipe, Great-crested Grebes and multiple hundreds of Pink-eared Ducks on the Drouin sewerage ponds; a flock of 30+ Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos at Bellbird Park; good numbers of Reed Warblers at Gum Scrub Creek; evidence of Gang-gang Cockatoos nesting at Amberly Bush Reserve; few grebes, and cormorants at McNeilly Park wetland; Buff-banded rail on the nature strip at Hopetoun Rd; Rufous Whistlers and nesting King Parrots at Thornell’s Reserve and many more.

Red-browed Finch after a bath

Bell Miners are proving to remain a nuisance and spreading at several sites. Weed invasion is a continuing problem in several places. Dogs off leads and free-roaming cats are an issue that needs better education and compliance.

Fan-tailed Cuckoo

As our town continues to expand, it is hoped that Drouin is able to retain or even expand its tree canopy. The large, mature trees require special protection. Our avian friends deserve it.

The 3-30-300 rule

Dutch urban forest expert, Cecil Konijnendijk of the Nature Based Solutions Institute, has devised a set of guidelines to assess the bare minimum benchmark for nature in urban spaces.

The 3-30-300 rule: ‘If you look out the window can you see 3 trees?’ ‘Is there 30% canopy cover?’ ‘Do you have a park within 300m?’

Drouin's CBD English Elms provide great shade - they have canopy

Research by the RMIT University of Melbourne in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich found that most cities failed the 3-30-300 rule, particularly the 30 part.

Professor Thami Croeser of RMITs Centre for Urban Research says, “It seems like a lot of people have views to enough trees, but they're not getting enough canopy …You could possibly argue that it's a bit of a global phenomenon of too small trees in cities.”

Native Frangipani is a popular street tree native to the rainforests of northern NSW and Queensland - virtually no shade!

The Bureau of Meteorology predicts that Australia is expected to have its hottest summer yet in 2025. Studies indicate that something like 30-40% canopy cover is the minimum required to combat the effects of urban heat islands developing. Street trees with minimal canopy just don’t cut it.

The avenue of Angophoras and Mountain Grey Gums in Main South Rd cast wonderful shade all day long - helping to reduce the UHI effect

Drouin’s large canopy remnant and planted trees (eucs, oaks, planes, etc) are going to prove to be valuable in the face of global warming.  Perhaps we need bigger back yards or bigger nature strips – or both – where a decent canopy tree could be planted?