Autumn bird survey - DWWTP & Amberly Bush Reserve

Drouin waste water treatment plant Settlement Rd

The DWWTP is Drouin’s hot spot for birds. Our surveys there over several years consistently yield the highest number of species and certainly the highest number of individual birds of all our core sites.

Gippsland Water kindly gives the Friends of Drouin’s Trees bird surveyors permission to enter and survey the ponds and surrounding woodland. The diversity of habitat draws a wonderful variety of waterbird, bushland and grassland bird species. There is a purpose-built hide for public use just west of the main entrance in Settlement Rd.

On the 25^th March, 49 species of native birds were recorded and on the 15^th April, 34 native species. Highlights included a flock consisting of several hundred Pink-eared Ducks, huge rafts of Eurasian Coots, Chestnut Teal and dozens of Hoary-headed Grebes. As is nearly always the case, wetland habitats are often attractive to raptor species and Black-shouldered Kites, Brown Goshawks, Swamp Harriers and Whistling Kites were all seen.

 

 

Amberly Bush Reserve Billabong Cl

A small headwater of Whiskey Ck runs parallel to Main Neerim Rd on the northern edge of Drouin. Just before the creek goes under the freeway, there is a tiny bush reserve that contains remnant and planted native vegetation. Some of the Swamp Gum species in this reserve are quite old and contain numerous hollows for wildlife.

Our surveys here this autumn yielded 26 species of native birds on 27^th March and 19 species on the 29^th April. King Parrots were inspecting tree hollows on both days. However, the Bell Miner (Bellbird) population here seems to be expanding – Bell Miner Associated Dieback of eucalypt woodlands is a significant issue in our district.

Autumn colour

The change of season is upon us – have you noticed? Extra blanket at night, shorter days, fungi popping up, and many trees changing colour – the deciduous ones anyway.

We can thank early settlers and the Victorian Acclimatization Society for some of the beautiful autumn colour we experience at this time of year. In 1857 and 1858, Victoria’s first Government Botanist, Ferdinand von Mueller, is said to have distributed over 7,000 plants and more than 20,000 seeds to various gardens and parks throughout the new colony. Mind you, some introductions turned out to be a bit disastrous, like rabbits, and von Mueller championed the introduced blackberry as a source of food for the bush and for erosion control!

Trees from northern climates such as the oaks, planes, maples and birches in our streets and parks, have evolved to endure long, cold winters. The shorter hours of daylight is the main trigger for the introduced trees to enter a state of dormancy by dropping their leaves.

Less sunlight means less energy to drive the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis takes place within the tree’s leaves and is the means by which the trees obtain their nutrient. The photosynthesis equation looks like this: carbon dioxide + water (with sunlight and chlorophyl) = glucose (food) + oxygen.

As the hours of daylight shrink, the trees begin to break down the chlorophyl in the leaves and store it for the winter. The leaves lose their green pigment and other chemicals within them begin to provide the reds, yellows and purples of autumn that begin to dominant: carotenoids produce yellow and orange shades; anthocyanins produce reds and purples.

Well, who really cares about all that? It’s just a nice time of year to celebrate the wonderful change of season that Mother Nature provides. We will soon be looking forward to the joys that spring brings. In the meantime, stay warm.

 

Our new minister for the environment and water

The new Labor Government ministry has been sworn in. Tanya Plibersek, the previous Minister for the Environment, has been moved ‘sideways’ and the new Minister for the Environment and Water is Senator Murray Watt.

His official web page has information on his background, qualifications, positions held, etc., and where you can make contact! His Facebook page is where you can keep track of his recent movements.

Murray Watt is a Queensland Labor Senator. He has a law background and “… specialised in employment law and ran class actions for farmers, shareholders and consumers against governments and big corporations.”

Being a Queenslander, it might be interesting to see how his ministry approaches the illegal land clearing that continues in that state to this day.

Autumn bird survey – McNeilly Park

The Friends of Drouin’s Trees conducts bird surveys of seven core sites in and nearby Drouin. The sites are surveyed twice a year – spring and autumn. Each site is surveyed twice per season to help ensure the best capture. Survey teams consist of a minimum of two surveyors, often more, with considerable experience. Each survey takes about 2 hours. The results are uploaded to BirdLife Australia’s BirdData website. A ‘hard’ copy of each survey is filed and uploaded to our own bawbawbiodiversity site.

The following few blog posts will be a summary of this year’s autumn surveys.

McNeilly Park wetland and environs

McNeilly Park, Jackson Dr, is a public park with a lake wetland system that captures town and spring run off. The area contains some remnant eucalypt species – Strzelecki Gums – and abundant wetland and riparian planting. The park and wetland is now surrounded by urban development.

McNeilly Park recently - birds were tricky to see at times

McNeilly park was surveyed on 20^th March (33 native species of birds) and 24^th of April (30 native species). The usual suspect introduced species – Common Blackbird, Starling, Myna, Spotted Dove and House Sparrow were present also.

Interestingly, the first survey in March yielded no Superb Fairy-wrens but they were abundantly present in the April survey – the reason why two surveys a season are conducted at each site.

Black-shouldered Kite - a raptor that 'specialises' in rodents

A Black-shouldered Kite seems ever present at McNeilly Park and have been recorded nesting in the Strzelecki Gum canopy. During the survey on 24^th April, a flock of White-throated Needletails were observed drinking on the wing.

Native Swamp Rat seen during a recent bird survey at McNeilly Park