Ten Giants in Ten Days - Revisited

Did you miss catching Jo Camaniti painting ten of Drouin’s giants in ten days during her stint as artist in residence in May?

Here’s a chance to see Jo’s work, along with several of Carrie Dupé’s also, in an exhibition at the Station Gallery Yarragon. The exhibition, ‘Branching Out’, will run throughout August with the opening on Sunday 5/08/18.

Don’t miss it this time!

Radio Birds

Dear All.
A recent project by Friends of Drouin's Trees was to produce some short radio segments  covering some of the birds of Drouin.

With the invaluable assistance of Lynn at radio 103.1 3BBR FM West Gippsland Community Radio in Drouin, twenty 'bird tweets' were recorded. The radio station has been playing the segments within it's morning and afternoon programs throughout July.

At long last we have got around to embedding them into this blog site - you will see a 'Radio Birds' app in the right hand column right down near the bottom (you will need to be on the blog website, Friends of Drouin's Trees, to access this).

Just click on the bird name and an MP3 recording will open in a new window. Click on the play button and after a short introduction by Lynn, you will hear the bird's call, a short description, some comments about habits, etc, finishing with a short replay of the call.

A huge thanks goes to Lynn et al at 3 BBR FM.

Enjoy!

Once Upon a Time ...

… Lyrebirds roamed the nearby environs of Drouin.

The following is an extract from the Brisbane Telegraph, 25/04/1931 (thanks Judy).

AN ACCOMPLISHED PET.

Here Is Mr A H Chisholm's account of a pet lyrebird.

A notable case was that of "Jack" of Drouin, Victoria, a lyrebird that was caught as a youngster in 1885 and lived about the farm of Mr S McNeilly for twenty years. It is on record that Jack's plumage gradually improved, and after six years he developed a magnificent tail. Sometimes he wandered from the farm, but always he returned.

While work was going on he was frequently in the way, hence his chief saying "Look out Jack!" Among his favourite imitations were the noise of a horse and dray moving slowly, with the play of the wheels in the axle-boxes, chains rattling, etc; an occasional "Gee up, Bess"; and the  sound of a violin, piano, cornet, cross-cut saw, etc. All the more frequent noises about the farm the bird learnt to perfection, such as a pig being, killed, a dog howling, a child crying, flocks of parrots screaming, kookaburras laughing, and many cries of small birds. At the sight of strangers, the wonderful bird became quiet, but he would follow them like a dog; once he was found three miles away. His usual answer to the men saying "Poor Jack!" was "Not poor Jack! fat Jack!" which the men had taught him.

The Superb Lyrebird is a common bird in the dense wet gullies of West Gippsland and their distribution down the eastern seaboard stops at Melbourne. 

The mimicry abilities of the Lyrebird are legendary and every naturalist, amateur and professional, has their own tale to tell, like Mr Chisholm above. I recall hearing someone cutting wood with an axe inside Nangara Reserve at Jindivick a few years ago. It took me several minutes for the ‘penny to drop’.

Although a ground dwelling species, Lyrebirds roost and nest in trees and tree ferns. They only fly short distances. Only the male has the spectacular tail plumage.

Lyrebirds are sedentary and do not wander far from their favourite patch of bush. There are several pairs that occupy various corners of the reserve at Jindivick.

Mt Worth State Park, Uralla, Bunyip State Park, Nangara and Glen Nayook are just a few of the nearby localities to catch up with a Lyrebird and now is the time of year to do so – the males generally begin their courtship displays mid-Winter.