Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley...

14
Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the public on Wednesday 10 th April by Lily D’Ambrosio who is the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. Badger Weir Park was closed after the storm on October 9 th 2016 which caused extensive damage, felling huge trees and damaging infrastructure as well as to other parts of the Yarra Ranges National Park which included 100km of walking tracks. Two days after the opening, 3 members of Birdlife Yarra Valley decided to visit Badger Weir Park to view the changes and to conduct a short bird survey. Driving into the park there was no obvious change but upon entering the picnic area the difference was noticeable. The picnic area was much more open with many of the large Mountain Ash trees missing. We were delighted to see that the vicinity had been restored with care to re-create the original atmosphere from before the storm. Subtle changes had been made such as replacing the old bollards with rock barriers, new picnic tables and barbecues and the pedestrian bridge over Badger Creek rebuilt. Behind some of the vegetation, large felled trees had been cut up and remained on the ground, a reminder of the storm and habitat for insects and wildlife. We were pleased to see the old-style shingle roof rotundas remained and the badly damaged old toilet block had been re-furbished and transformed into a picnic shelter. A new unobtrusive toilet block has been built further away at the far end of the picnic area. This replaced the ‘new’ toilet block which was completely demolished in the storm. Continued on page 3. Contents 1 & 4. Badger weir Park Re-opens by Valerie Fowler 2. Minutes of Annual General Meeting 3. Convener’s Report, Committee, What Bird is That? 5. Chirnside Park Wetlands by Valerie Fowler 6-7. Interesting Sightings. 7. Sherbrooke Lyrebird Group Dawn Survey Dates 8-13. Reports of Meetings and Outings 14. Calendar of Events

Transcript of Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley...

Page 1: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter

Badger Weir Park Re-opens

Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the public on

Wednesday 10th April by Lily D’Ambrosio who is the Minister

for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. Badger Weir

Park was closed after the storm on October 9th 2016 which

caused extensive damage, felling huge trees and damaging

infrastructure as well as to other parts of the Yarra Ranges

National Park which included 100km of walking tracks.

Two days after the opening, 3 members of Birdlife Yarra

Valley decided to visit Badger Weir Park to view the changes

and to conduct a short bird survey. Driving into the park

there was no obvious change but upon entering the picnic

area the difference was noticeable. The picnic area was much

more open with many of the large Mountain Ash trees

missing.

We were delighted to see that the vicinity had been restored

with care to re-create the original atmosphere from before

the storm. Subtle changes had been made such as replacing

the old bollards with rock barriers, new picnic tables and

barbecues and the pedestrian bridge over Badger Creek

rebuilt. Behind some of the vegetation, large felled trees had

been cut up and remained on the ground, a reminder of the

storm and habitat for insects and wildlife. We were pleased to

see the old-style shingle roof rotundas remained and the

badly damaged old toilet block had been re-furbished and

transformed into a picnic shelter. A new unobtrusive toilet

block has been built further away at the far end of the picnic

area. This replaced the ‘new’ toilet block which was

completely demolished in the storm. Continued on page 3.

Contents 1 & 4. Badger weir Park Re-opens by Valerie Fowler

2. Minutes of Annual General Meeting

3. Convener’s Report, Committee, What Bird is That?

5. Chirnside Park Wetlands by Valerie Fowler

6-7. Interesting Sightings.

7. Sherbrooke Lyrebird Group Dawn Survey Dates

8-13. Reports of Meetings and Outings

14. Calendar of Events

Page 2: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

2 Lyrebird Tales

Minutes of Annual General Meeting

Held on Tuesday 14 May, 2019, at 7.53p.m.

in the Badger Creek Hall Meeting Room, Badger Creek Road, Badger Creek.

The Convener took the chair and welcomed the eleven members present.

Apologies: Lin Bullen, Terry Barnett.

1. It was Moved Valerie Fowler Seconded Michael Feller “that the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 8 May,

2018, be accepted” Carried.

2. The Treasurer presented the Financial Statement for 2018-2019. It was Moved Michael Feller Seconded Manfred

Hennig “that the Treasurer’s Report be accepted” Carried.

3. The Convener gave an overall report of the year’s activities. It was Moved Valerie Fowler Seconded Michael Feller

“that the Convener’s Report be received” Carried.

4. Election of Office-bearers and members of the committee for 2019/2020.

Office-bearers:

It was Moved Doug Pocock Seconded Peter Fowler that Warren Cousins be elected as Convener. As there were no other

nominations Warren Cousins was elected as Convener. Carried.

It was Moved Graeme George Seconded Michael Feller that Manfred Hennig be elected as Deputy-Convener. As there were

no other nominations Manfred Hennig was elected Deputy-Convener. Carried.

It was Moved Warren Cousins Seconded Michael Feller that Alma Mitchell be elected as Secretary. As there were no other

nominations Alma Mitchell was elected Secretary. Carried.

It was Moved Warren Cousins Seconded Graeme George that Michael Feller be elected as Treasurer. As there were no

other nominations Michael Feller was elected as Treasurer. Carried.

Committee:

Jan Llewelyn Nominated by Michael Feller Seconded by Valerie Fowler. As there were no other nominations Jan Llewlyn was

elected as a member of the committee. Carried.

It was Moved Michael Feller Seconded Valerie Fowler that Doug Pocock be elected as a member of the Committee. As there

were no other nominations Doug Pocock was elected as a member of the Committee. Carried.

Special thanks to Warren Cousins who stepped in to fill in the vacancy of Convener at the meeting in June 2018.

Special thanks to Lin Bullen for her work as Librarian for a number of years. Lin did not nominate for Committee this year.

5. Any other business:

Bank Signatories Manfred Hennig, Michael Feller and Alma Mitchell are currently registered as signatories. As Linda

Bullen has resigned from the Committee the Bank is asked to delete her name as a signatory. Two signatures are

required for each transaction.

As there was no other business the meeting closed at 8.19 p.m.

Page 3: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

June 2019 3

Convener’s Report for Year 2018/2019

At the 2018 Annual General Meeting, at which I was not

present, the Convener position was not filled and declared

vacant. The previous incumbent, Glenn Mawson, had

resigned due to his relocation out of the Yarra Valley area to

Sandhurst. As a quite new resident in Lilydale, and as a

reasonably active newer participant in the outings organised

by this group, I was approached shortly after the AGM and

accepted the nomination at a subsequent meeting.

The branch owes Glenn a huge vote of thanks for his many

years both on the general committee and as Convenor for

many years prior to his departure. These thanks have been

personally given to Glenn by myself, and I suspect others

from within our group.

I would also like to thank all other members of the

Committee. Alma never ceases to amaze with her

thoroughness, detailed knowledge, and long history with this

branch; Michael for handling our finances and coping with the

demands from Birdlife Head Office; Manfred for always being

there and helping so much with choice of our locations for

outings; and Jan and Lin for their inputs and encouragement.

We would certainly also welcome any other members to join

us on the Committee. The task on balance is not an onerous

one.

Another special thank you to Valerie for the wonderful work

she does to produce our Lyrebird Tales newsletters. I am

sure many tireless hours are needed to pull this together,

and the results are a credit to her. I always receive

commendations from readers after each new issue is

published.

We have seen a good number of interesting outings during

the last 12 months. These include the regular bi-annual visits

to the Coranderrk and the RACV Healesville Club. The

Coranderrk is one I particularly enjoy as I spend so much

time at the adjacent Sanctuary as a volunteer Tour Guide.

Thanks are also extended to Manfred for arranging our visits

to the RACV facility. For me as a relative newcomer to the

area, many of these outings were a first, and I personally

have enjoyed them all, and particularly the post-walk lunch

and bird call. No doubt the recent visit to Werribee's

Western Treatment Plant was a real highlight with many

wonderful birds seen, and such an excellent contribution by

John Barkla. It was wonderful to see such a good attendance

with a total of 25 persons. Our nine monthly meetings at the

Badger Creek Hall meeting room have all been quite well

attended with a good spread of speakers and topics.

However finding new speakers for future meetings seems to

getting difficult, so any suggestions from members will be

welcomed. We also hope to put together an interesting

spread of outings for the remainder of 2019 and into 2020. I

look forward to sharing in these with you. I always welcome

any inputs on any matters, so please feel free to ring me at

any time on 0425768942.

Warren Cousins. Convener Birdlife Australia - Yarra Valley

Branch

What Bird is That?

Answer on page 7

BirdLife Australia Yarra Valley Branch

P.O. Box 1172, Healesville Vic. 3777 email: [email protected]

Committee

Convener: Warren Cousins Deputy-Convener: Manfred Hennig Secretary: Alma Mitchell Treasurer: Michael Feller Conservation Officer: Michael Feller Other Members: Jan Llewelyn. Doug Pocock

Y.V. BIRDLIFE CAMP October 2019

This will be a come and go to suit you camp over the 11-14th October. People can arrive on Thursday 10th in the afternoon to take advantage of a full Friday’s birding. The camp will be on a private conservation property in Wedderburn. There is plenty of room for tents and caravans. There is some tank water available, shelter for birdcall if the weather is crook and it will be possible to have a campfire. The bird list for the property is about 140 species seen. Book with Doug or Jan at [email protected] or phone

5964 4581 and we will send you information. We need to

know the numbers to organize toilets.

Page 4: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

4 Lyrebird Tales

Badger Weir Park opens continued

We were the first visitors to the park that morning though

some walkers and families arrived later and several workers

were re-fitting the water tank further up the track near the

weir where a section of a smashed large water pipe had been

replaced.

We were happy to see a male Superb Lyrebird cross the road

in the picnic area before disappearing in the vegetation along

the creek. Unfortunately this was the only Lyrebird seen or

heard. We followed the track to the weir, the low vegetation

halfway along the aqueduct appeared undisturbed but the

Mountain Ash behind had their tops smashed off and many

trees were missing. Here we saw a Sparrowhawk and a

mixed flock of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, Red Wattlebirds,

several Eastern Spinebills, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Crescent

Honeyeater, Grey Fantail, Superb Fairy-wrens and Silvereyes.

Reaching the end of the track the creek appeared

undamaged but the bank of tree-ferns on one side of the weir

had been flattened and erosion occurred.

Returning to the picnic area King Parrots and Sulphur-crested

Cockatoos had arrived whilst Crimson Rosellas were pecking

at seed by the rotunda. Whilst enjoying a cuppa in the re-

furbished picnic shelter we observed a Large-billed

Scrubwren in the nearby bush. Total bird species counted

was 19 – this was compared with lists from the last Yarra

Valley outing in January 2016 (31 species) and January 2015

(29 species). Both these lists included summer migrants.

Valerie Fowler (There is a short video on

youtube of the storm damage to Badger Weir Park).

Page 5: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

June 2019 5

Chirnside Park Wetlands

Behind the large and palatial houses in Chirnside Park lies a

small wetland which is managed by Melbourne Water. Many

years ago this area was just paddocks where Black-

shouldered Kites were regularly seen hovering and an

occasional migrating Flame Robin was spotted when it

stopped for a rest.

The Chirnside Park Wetlands can be accessed by a footpath

alongside the CFA on Edwards Rd or via Anthony Drive which

passes an entrance to the Wetlands. In 2017 the wetlands

were improved with weed control and re-vegetation work

completed. The ponds are fed by storm water drainage and a

wide gravel path borders both sides of the wetland.

In April 2019 we re-visited the wetlands and surprisingly we

recorded 24 bird species. The first pond had somewhat

overgrown edges, bordered by trees and secondary level

vegetation providing good habitat for birds. Further along the

wetland opened out to provide a more open area of water.

The majority of species observed were waterbirds including:

Australian Pelican, Great Egret, White-faced Heron, Little Pied

Cormorant, White Ibis, Grey Teal, Wood and Black Ducks.

There was also a Straw-necked Ibis which had a broken wing

but appeared quite healthy. Other species included:

Australian Pipit and Brown Goshawk. Valerie Fowler

Australian Pelican photo © Valerie Fowler

Straw-necked Ibis photo © Peter Fowler

Australian Wood Ducks photo © Valerie Fowler

Page 6: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

6 Lyrebird Tales

Interesting Sightings

16/1/19 White-throated Needletail (1) - East Warburton.

Heather Arnold

7/2/19 White-throated Needletails (40+) - Castella. Manfred

Hennig

7/2/19 Tawny Frogmouth 2 at dusk – Toolangi. Manfred

Hennig

7/2/19 Eastern Rosellas (20+) – Toolangi. Manfred Hennig

7/2/19 Crimson Rosellas (20+) - Toolangi. Manfred Hennig

7/2/19 Little Ravens (120+) – Toolangi. Manfred Hennig

Last 4 weeks 4-8 Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos – Toolangi.

Manfred Hennig

13/2/19 Scarlet Honeyeater - Chum Creek. Michael Feller

12/3/19 Azure Kingfisher flew into window then away - Chum

Creek. Michael Feller

20/3/19 White-throated Needletails (3) - East Warburton.

Heather Arnold

21/3/19 White-throated Needletails (Approx 30) - East

Warburton. Heather Arnold

1/4/19 Sooty Owls (2) heard calling just after dark - Badger

Weir Picnic Ground. Karen Garth

1/4/19 Boobooks heard calling 1 hour after dark - Badger

Weir Picnic Ground. Karen Garth

7/4/19 Owlet Nightjar collided with windscreen - Albert Rd,

Badger Creek. Graeme George

9/4/19 Bassian Thrush (1) - East Warburton. Heather Arnold

11/4/19 Superb Lyrebird (1 only seen or heard), Crescent

Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Lewin’s Honeyeater,

Large-billed Scrubwren – Badger Weir. V & P Fowler, Alma

Mitchell.

12/4/19 Azure Kingfisher - Lillydale Lake. Valerie & Peter

Fowler

12/4/19 Flame Robin (1) (new bird on the survey) - Lillydale

Lake. Valerie Fowler

12/4/19 Sparrowhawk (1), Brown Goshawk (1) - Lillydale

Lake. V & P Fowler

20/4/19 Crescent Honeyeaters (winter arrivals) - East

Warburton. Heather Arnold

20/4/19 Yellow-faced Honeyeater - East Warburton. Heather

Arnold

20/4/19 Straw-necked Ibis (15+) – Toolangi. Manfred Hennig

21/4/19 Cattle Egrets (first arrivals) - Sheffield Rd The Basin.

Peter Mitchell

24/4/19 Fan-tailed Cuckoo - Lillydale Lake (YVBL outing).

Doug Pocock et al

Azure Kingfisher photo © Valerie Fowler

Fantailed Cuckoo photo © Valerie Fowler

Flame Robin photo © Peter Fowler

25/4/19 Flame Robins (10), Crescent Honeyeater, Eastern

Spinebill - Mt St Leonard. P & V Fowler

25/4/19 Pilotbird - Mt St Leonard. Valerie Fowler

25/4/19 Cattle Egret 2, (first returns), Edwards Rd, Yering.

Valerie and Peter Fowler

25/4/19 Cattle Egret (9), White-necked Heron, Great Egret,

White-faced Heron – Yarra Glen. Valerie Fowler

25/4/19 Whistling Kite (2), Little Eagle (1) - Yarra Glen. Peter

and Valerie Fowler.

Page 7: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

June 2019 7

Cattle Egret photo © Valerie Fowler

28/4/19.Brown Quail (10) – Coranderrk. Graeme George

29/4/19 Brush Bronzewing - Wirra Willa walk, Toolangi.

Manfred Hennig

30/4/19 Scarlet Honeyeater (2) - Chum Creek. Michael Feller

6/5/19 Cattle Egret (35+) – Don Rd, Launching Place. Valerie

& Peter Fowler

7/5/19 Little Black Cormorant (47) – Lillydale Lake. Valerie &

Peter Fowler

12/5/19 Cattle Egrets (10+) Paynes Rd Chirnside Park. Alma

Mitchell

13/5/19 Crescent Honeyeater calling - Badger Creek. Graeme

George

13/5/19 Crescent Honeyeater – Toolangi. Manfred Hennig

_________________________________________________

Sherbrooke Survey Group

This year SLSG celebrated its 60th year with an afternoon

attended by past and present members and Dawn Survey

volunteers. There were several speeches including one on the

history of the group. Tables around the room were decorated

with memorabilia and books featuring the Superb Lyrebird.

We were also treated to a wonderful afternoon tea.

Out of the Yarra Valley

31/1/19 Yellow-billed Spoonbill - McIvor Hwy (Bendigo -

Heathcote). Jim McMinn

31/1/19 Australian Pelicans (6) - On small dam near

Seymour. Jim McMinn

11/5/19 Painted Button Quails – Wedderburn. Doug Pocock

"All is not lost for BirdLife Yarra Valley's previous convener

following his move from his bird filled property at Healesville.

This Tawny Frogmouth was encountered just outside his

Sandhurst back door, well camouflaged in an Ornamental

Pear."

Tawny Frogmouth photo © Glenn Mawson

Answer to What Bird is that? Crescent Honeyeater.

_________________________________________________

SLSG 60th Anniversary cake photo © Valerie Fowler

Sherbrooke Lyrebird Dawn Survey

2019 Dates

• Saturday 22 rd June

• Saturday 6th July

• Saturday 20th July

Meet at Grant's Picnic Ground shelter (Melway map 75

K4) at 6am. Parks Victoria staff will provide a delicious

breakfast after the survey.

Be sure to dress warmly and bring a compass, watch,

pencil and torch.

Page 8: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

8 Lyrebird Tales

Reports of Meetings and Outings

February 9 - Outing to Wittons Reserve, Warrandyte

State Park

On a coolish morning, our group of 12 intrepid birdwatchers

set off from the car park adjacent to the Yarra River. A quick

recce at the river revealed no birds whatsoever; although a

solo Black Duck had been seen earlier.

Setting off in a north-easterly direction (upstream) we didn't

get far when rain started. This sent three of our group

hurrying back to their cars for umbrellas and other wet

weather gear.

The damp conditions seemed initially to keep the birds silent

and immobile, so at first we didn't see much at all. However

after another 15 minutes or so, things improved a little (bird-

wise; not weather-wise as the rain persisted). We had nice

views of a Spotted Pardalote, Rufous Whistler and a

Mistletoebird.

After a bit over an hour, the rain had not only set in, but was

also getting heavier, so a consensus vote yielded to the

conditions and we all set sail back to the carpark. A quick

bird count revealed a tally of 26 species. Warren Cousins

February 12 – Wettability and drying capacity of breast

feathers of Australian birds by Bethany Gillard

Bethany studied at Latrobe University finishing her Masters’

Degree in 2014 and her subject, the title of her talk, was a

topic that many of us knew little about.

Bethany introduced us to the different types and shapes of

feathers, the position of the feather on the bird and its

function dictated its structure. We learnt of two structures of

feathers: The pennaceous vane which is more useful for flight

and waterproofing; it is the ‘blade’ of the feather and consists

of a more closed, hooked together structure. The second

structure of the plumaceous vane is more useful for the most

efficient form of insulation; its structure is looser lacking the

hamuli to hook the feather together. She talked of previous

research regarding the waterproofing of feathers but said the

results had been over generalized. Initially researchers

thought the feathers contained oil but studies proved that the

uropygial gland which is at the base of the tail in some birds

was important for waterproofing by preserving the feather

structure. There were suggestions that it is the arrangement

of the plumage that promotes wetting in Darters and

Cormorants, not the individual feather itself.

Bethany decided to test the following hypothesis:

1) Feathers from water birds would reach a fully wetted

weight more slowly than feathers from non-water birds.

2) Feathers from water birds would uptake relatively less

water than non-water birds.

3) Feathers immersed for a short period of time (e.g. 6

hours) would take less time to dry than those immersed for

longer periods (e.g. 12 hours).

But then came her biggest problem – sourcing the feathers!

Australian Darter photo © Valerie Fowler

As she could not ethically source ‘fresh’ feathers from live

birds, she would have to use road kills but the feathers had

to be un-contaminated, not damaged and also fresh!

After devising a method of weighing both wet and dry

feathers and a means of soaking the feathers without

damaging their structures Bethany concluded that different

sections of the feather became wetter at different times

according to its structure.

Bethany tested aquatic and terrestrial species for

comparison. The aquatic species were: Australian Wood

Duck, Grey Teal, Pacific Black Duck and Purple Swamphen. A

Dusky Moorhen and White-faced Heron became available but

she ran out of time to test their breast feathers. The

terrestrial species tested were: Australian Emu (only 5 half

feathers), Australian Magpie, White-winged Chough, Tawny

Frogmouth, Crested Pigeon and a deceased pet Red-rumped

Parrot.

Bethany compared her studies to those cited in the past but

said it was difficult to make comparisons due to the

Australian birds not having been studied before. She

concluded that feathers from water birds reached a fully

wetted weight more slowly than feathers from non-water

birds.

Feathers from water birds uptake relatively less water than

non-water birds and feathers immersed for a short period of

time (e.g. 6 hours) would take less time to dry than those

immersed for longer periods (e.g. 12 hours). Bethany

reminded us that it is a big leap to generalize the results of

tests on a few feathers to an entire species and/or family of

birds and that her results only gave a snapshot of how

feathers behave. She said that the wettability of back

feathers could be totally different from that of breast

feathers. She said that further testing from multiple

individuals is necessary to prove her theory.

Thank you Bethany, what an interesting study, I think we will

appreciate the complexity of feathers in the future when we

see waterbirds swimming or passerine birds having a bath.

We thoroughly enjoyed your informative talk and cannot

image the persistence and patience you needed to complete

your thesis.

Page 9: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

June 2019 9

February 27 - Outing to the Western Treatment Plant

25 members had a marathon but extremely rewarding trip to

the WTP. I'm sure we were all thoroughly happy with such a

wonderful outing, but no doubt arrived home thoroughly

exhausted.

Some facts about the WTP. Located in Werribee, the historic

plant treats about half of Melbourne’s sewage while providing

an internationally-recognised bird habitat. It occupies 10,500

hectares — the same size as Disney World. It produces 40

billion litres of recycled water a year. It is energy self-

sufficient, generating all its electricity from sewage gas, and

it was declared an internationally-significant wetland for

waterfowl in 1983, under the Ramsar Convention. More than

306 bird species have been recorded at the plant, including

migratory shorebirds that travel from Siberia each year. It is

therefore recognised as a wetland of international importance

under the Ramsar Convention, and as one of Australia’s best

birdwatching sites.

The trip started with two virtually full minivans being picked

up from Healesville stopping at designated points to pick up

the participants and our bird guide John Barkla who as

expected provided an amazing boost to the knowledge base

of the WTP (a huge thank you to Michael Feller for driving the

second bus). Both buses arrived at the WTP at the same time

Red-necked Avocets, Ducks, Waders photo V. Fowler

After a quick rest stop at the relatively new WTP bathrooms,

we headed off at about 10am being almost immediately

rewarded with close views of an Australian Hobby. Our first

main stop was at the T-section Lagoons with a bonanza of

birds. These included uncountable Red-necked Avocets, Stilts

(mostly Pied but also a handful of Banded), both Chestnut

and Grey Teal, Black Swans, both Spoonbills, Glossy Ibis,

Cape Barren Goose, all three Crakes (Spotted, Spotless and

Baillon’s), Golden-headed Cisticola, Striated Fieldwren,

Great-crested Grebe, etc.

Cape Barren Geese photo ©Valerie Fowler

We then drove adjacent to the beach past numerous ponds

and stopped for a short lunch break sitting on the beach with

lovely views of the bay. Again there was a great variety of

birds: Australian Pelican, Australian Gannets Australian Pied

Oystercatcher, six species of Tern (Common, Crested, Fairy,

Whiskered, Little, and White-winged Black), four Cormorants

(Great, Pied, Little Pied and Little Black), and Australian Pied

Oystercatcher. The Brolgas regrettably proved too elusive.

Further on we drove around Lake Borrie to be astounded by

the overwhelming quantity and variety of birds. The many

thousands are a sight that few will forget. There were huge

numbers of Pink-eared Duck, the endangered Freckled Duck,

Grebes, Australian Shelduck, Eurasian Coot, Musk Duck,

Purple Swamphen, and so many more. This is a place that

must exceed any avid bird-watcher’s dreams.

Page 10: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

10 Lyrebird Tales

Spotless Crake photo © Valerie Fowler

Brown Falcon photo © Peter Fowler

We also had many raptors over the day with Australian

Hobby, Black Kite, Black-shouldered Kite, Whistling Kite,

Brown Falcon, Brown Goshawk, and Swamp Harrier.

We finished the day with our bird count and John Barkla

declared an overall total of 95 species. This was an excellent

outcome given that we had missed a few key areas due to

lack of time. I'm sure that this result would have included for

many of us one or more new species. Once again, a massive

thank you to John Barkla (and his partner, Alison) whose

knowledge and enthusiasm made the day so much more

productive and enjoyable for the Yarra Valley members.

Thanks also to all of the 25 persons who attended. I know

the day was long and tiring but I reckon the payback was

worth the effort ten times over. Warren Cousins

WTP Lake Borrie photo © Valetie Fowler

March 9 - Outing to Wild Dog Creek Rd, St. Andrews

and Boomers Reserve.

Box – Ironbark forests, which were visited on this outing, are

infrequently visited by Birdlife Yarra Valley as they do not

occur in the Yarra Valley or areas to the south. Consequently,

despite the very dry and overcast conditions, I was still

hoping to see some different bird species. White-winged

Choughs obliged at the parking area. We followed the gravel

road up into a finger of Kinglake National Park, encountering

numerous Grey Fantails and White-throated Treecreepers, as

well as Brown and Striated Thornbills, Pied Currawongs,

Superb Fairy-Wrens, and Golden Whistlers, amongst others.

Rufous Whistlers provided some good photographic

opportunities, while Varied Sitellas teased the photographers.

The Whistlers and Sitellas occurred where the road turned

more steeply uphill. Some of the party opted to walk back

down the road to the cars while others opted to climb up to a

side track which Peter knew to provide a loop route back. The

birdlife on this loop amounted to a grand total of 2 Grey

Fantails!

Boomers Reserve photo © Michael Feller

We returned to the cars then drove back through St. Andrews

to Boomers Reserve, where we had lunch. Orchids grace the

reserve in spring but on the occasion of our visit hardly a

flower of any type could be seen and the extremely dry forest

appeared even starker beneath the smoky cloudy sky.

Old mining excavations and fenced-off research plots added

some interest, but calls of Australian and Little Ravens,

together with the tinkling of Bell Miners were soon heard in

the distance. Ubiquitous White-throated Treecreepers and

Grey Fantails were seen but a pair of Scarlet Robins and a

Buff-rumped Thornbill became the birds of the day.

Honeyeaters – Yellow-faced, White-eared, Brown-headed,

and White-naped, also appeared, as did Spotted and Striated

Pardalotes. The relative absence of parrots in both areas

visited was quite noteworthy. A Crimson Rosella and some

Galahs were heard in the Wild Dog Creek area, but that was

it. Also noteworthy was the abundant new growth in the

eucalypts, particularly those growing up after the 2009 fires.

This was probably a result of the reasonable rain a few weeks

previously.

A total of 32 bird species was seen or heard – a respectable

tally given the very dry conditions. Michael Feller

Page 11: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

June 2019 11

March 12 - Meeting: Quiz and documentary on

Colombia

We first participated in two bird identification quizzes. The

first quiz featured bird images seen from an unusual position

and the second from a small section of a bird’s plumage.

Whilst some bird species were easily identified others caused

some discussion. Thanks to Warren for his idea for the

evening.

We then watched a documentary from the internet suggested

by Michael. The documentary titled ‘The Birders / A Melodic

Journey through Northern Colombia’ which was produced as

a promotional video in 2019.The documentary follows a road

trip by Keith Ladzinski, a National Geographic videographer

and Diego Calderon, a biologist and birdwatching guide. The

route follows the birdwatching route of North Colombia

visiting Los Flamencos National Park, Tyrona National Park

and Santa Marta National Park. The documentary showed the

indigenous people of the coastal area; their fishing boats,

ceremonies and music. The scenic beaches of Tyrona and the

spectacular mountain scenery of Santa Marta and the difficult

winding four- wheel track to reach it. Keith Ladzinski talked

of his wonder visiting the area and the excruciating patience

required to capture images of some of the bird species and

the reward when it’s successful. Diego Calderon took Keith

Ladzinski to film in an area of Colombia close to the border of

Venezuela where he had been held captive by the terrorist

group FARC for 4 months ten years previously. The

documentary recorded Diego’s great courage returning to the

area for the first time since his capture.

For some members present it was an insight into the country,

an addition to previous talks about the birds of Colombia and

a trip down memory lane for those who had visited and

birdwatched there, challenging their memories to name the

bird species.

March 27 - Outing to Banyule Flats, Heidelberg

Nine birdwatchers met in the car park and first looked for

reported Tawny Frogmouths near by with no success. We

then proceeded on to the Banyule Wetlands, which were

drying up and hosted far fewer birds than on our preview.

However we saw family of Pink-eared Ducks with 3 chicks,

Grey and Chestnut Teal, Wood Ducks, Black-fronted

Dotterels, White and Straw-necked Ibis, a White-faced

Heron, a Darter, Dusky Moorhens, Masked Lapwings and

numerous Silver Gulls. We then walked around the far side

of the wetlands seeing, among others, a Sacred Kingfisher,

Australian King Parrots, Grey Butcher birds and Superb Fairy

Wrens.

On our return for lunch we ran into a local who showed the

elusive Tawny Frogmouths we had been looking for. After

lunch we followed the main trail to the Windmill Track, and

then took this into the banks of the Yarra River, finally

looping back to our cars in increasingly hot weather.

All together we saw 50 species –4 raptors, various little bush

birds including an Eastern Yellow Robin, the highlights being

the Pink-eared Duck family, the Tawny Frogmouths and the

Sacred Kingfisher. Jan Llewelyn

April 9 - Meeting Mike’s Seabird Adventures by Mike

Tarburton

Mike entertained us with stories from his career monitoring

and studying seabirds. Mike was inspired by Dr D.L Serventy

(1904-1988), a Western Australian ornithologist

conservationist who became internationally recognised for his

study of the migration patterns and the biology of Mutton

Birds.

Mike talked about his own studies and monitoring of breeding

seabirds starting in Western Australia which included Cape

Naturaliste in the south west. He then studied colonies of

seabirds in several outlying islands off the coast of Australia

including Phillip Island which is part of the Norfolk Island

group and has been identified by BirdLife International as an

Important Bird Area (IBA). In this area he studied the

Masked Booby, Grey Noddy, Black-winged Petrel and the

Wedge-tailed Shearwater. Mike talked about the precarious

nature of the White Tern’s egg which was just balanced on a

branch on Lord Howe Island.

Royal Albatross in NZ photo © Peter Fowler

NZ Australian Gannet Colony photo © Valerie Fowler

When Mike’s career took him to New Zealand he studied and

monitored many seabirds including colonies of Australian

Gannets and Royal Albatross. Monitoring breeding colonies of

Hutton’s Shearwaters was much more difficult as they had

their burrows at the snowline in the Kaikoura Mountains

Page 12: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

12 Lyrebird Tales

requiring a helicopter flight to access the site. Mike

discovered that the Hutton’s Shearwater flies anti-clockwise

around Australia.

Mike also went to Fiji spending time studying seabirds on the

island of Vatu-i-Ra, a small uninhabited island off the coast of

Viti Levu. It is one of the 28 internationally important bird

areas recognized by BirdLife International for Fiji. Here Mike

studied White-tailed Tropicbirds, Yellow-tailed Tropicbird, the

Red-footed Booby and the Brown Booby which was much

scarcer. Mike said that the more common Black Noddy used

their colony every 10 months but the birds only breed every

2nd cycle.

Mike showed us images of many other seabirds from places

including Christmas Island and Samoa and gave us

information about each species and gave us an update from a

previous talk on the status of the other bird he is passionate

about – Swiftlets. We learned how climate change is affecting

their breeding sites causing a dramatic decline in the species.

Thanks Mike for yet another very interesting and informative

talk told with great enthusiasm – I am sure we all learnt

something new and enjoyed your stories.

April 13 - Outing to Big Pats Creek

On a lovely fine day (16-18 degrees, no wind) 10

birdwatchers met just east of Warburton and followed our

locally based members Noel and Heather by car to Big Pats

Creek picnic ground. Car parking was at a premium as a

hiking group had also selected the same venue as their

starting point.

We got off to a great beginning with a most co-operative

Bassian Thrush appearing just as we left the carpark. It

allowed for good viewing and I suspect some good photos.

This most auspicious start was however not reproduced as

we continued. Although the forest was certainly beautiful and

the creek very picturesque, the birds were not being too

helpful. A Superb Lyrebird was heard in the distance, but alas

no views were achieved.

Bassian Thrush photo © Valerie Fowler

After about two hours we decided to move on to Little

Peninsula Tunnel which is about 14 km east of Warburton on

the Woods Point Road. As with so much of our history, the

tunnel came into being because of the Gold Rush when the

Yarra River was diverted to make it easier for gold miners to

search for gold.

We first stopped for lunch at a pretty picnic spot right

opposite the river. We then crossed the river via a doubtful

footbridge, and headed up the adjacent open area that ended

up being very steep. Nothing new was seen as such, but the

location more than compensated with its natural beauty.

Overall the day yielded a modest total of 22 bird species.

Warren Cousins

April 24 - Outing to Lillydale Lake

White-faced Heron photo © Valerie Fowler

A small group met in the usual place for our regular walk at

the Lake. We had one new face, Lyn, who showed how keen

she was after having travelled all the way from East St Kilda

by public transport plus by foot. A big effort; well done.

The weather was pleasant and dry. As is typical, there were

numerous Little Corellas on the grassy area near the

playgrounds. Sharp eyes did however notice amongst them 1

or 2 Long-Billed Corellas. We started walking around the

southern part of the lake to look at the Australian Darters,

their nest and fledglings on one of the islands. Then we

headed in the direction of the wetlands towards the Hull Road

end of the reserve before heading back for our lunch and bird

call.

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike eating olives © V.Fowler

Page 13: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

June 2019 13

Overall we did quite well with 47 species. They're all nice, but

perhaps some of the favourites were the Yellow-tailed Black

Cockatoos, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Eastern Great Egret,

Golden Whistler, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, and the Little Pied and

Little Black Cormorants. Warren Cousins

May 11 – Survey at Coranderrk Nature Reserve

Female Blue-billed Duck photo © Valerie Fowler

An intrepid group of 14 birdwatchers met at the gate

opposite Fleay Road nice and early. Intrepid because the

prior day had been very wet and cold, so today's weather

could have been problematical. However we ended up having

a beaut day; certainly a mild late Autumn, but nevertheless

dry and pleasant for us all.

We had a few absent friends, but it was nice to welcome back

Glenn Mawson, and Alma joined us for most of the walk.

After locking the entry gate behind us, we parked at the Bush

Hut and headed off from there in the direction of the lake. On

the way we got in some good birds with the usual culprits;

Superb fairy-wren, Brown Thornbill, Red-Browed Finch,

Crimson Rosella, Laughing Kookaburra, Galah etc.

The lake was a busy place, as usual with large numbers of

Eurasian Coot (54), Blue-billed Ducks (15), and a degree of

temporary confusion between some Hoary-headed Grebes

and Australasian. It was nice to see a group of Swans at the

far shore plus a solo Little Pied cormorant and a pair of

Australian Darters. No Great Cormorants were seen today.

We then noticed a Swamp Harrier on the prowl, but it

perched soon after low down to the water's edge.

After leaving the lake there was a bit of excitement when

most of the group had good views of Crested Shrike-Tits.

These beautiful birds are not seen so very often, but once

seen will never be forgotten. He had to be the best bird of

the day. At the same place we got Lewin's Honeyeater and

Grey Shrike-Thrush.

A bit further on Glenn was first around a corner of the track

and noticed a raptor on the ground that turned out to be

eating a rabbit. It soon flew off but was identified as a

Square-Tailed kite. These have been seen before at the

Coranderrk but still a nice find.

We returned to the Bush Hut for lunch and bird call. Whilst

there, Manfred was lucky enough to see another Crested

Shrike-Tit, but it decamped before he could get a photo.

After exiting the reserve, I was just about to lock the gate

when Valerie called me over. Her "eagle" eyes had spotted a

Tawny Frogmouth on a small tree directly opposite the gate.

Unfortunately all the other birdwatchers had already left. I

immediately phoned Marian Weaving (our Tawny expert) and

although we always put some light-hearted pressure on her

to find us a Tawny, she was thrilled that we had seen one.

In all another excellent day at the Coranderrk. We had a total

of 49 species with the overall quantity of birds counted being

384. Warren Cousins

May 14 – Meeting. AGM. & Bird Stamps by Valerie

Fowler

Valerie’s talk about the birds featured on postage stamps

took us around the world starting in New Zealand, across to

North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East,

India, Asia, the Pacific and back to Australia. The wide

selection of bird species included, Ducks, Herons, Storks and

Flamingo through to Raptors, Owls, Kingfishers, Rollers,

Hornbills, Sunbirds, Hummingbirds, small passerines and

exotic Birds of Paradise. We also saw extinct and endangered

bird species as well as rare bird stamps. Accompanying each

stamp were photos of the featured bird and dialog about the

species. We learnt about her favourite birds she had seen

and those still on her wish list!

Valerie showed us examples of bird stamp displays from the

websites of the American Topical Association, the Southern

African Philately and the UK Bird Stamp Society. These were

serious bird stamp collectors and in each exhibit information

about the bird and its habitat was included. We were warned

about counterfeit stamps and in the examples we were

shown, it was hard to differentiate between the two.

Valerie said that if we were now thinking about collecting bird

stamps we should know some statistics: There are 27,000

stamps with birds on which depict 3,500 species.

We saw a chart of how many bird stamps have been issued

worldwide each year from 1854 to the present day – 2018,

the highest record with 1,811. A second chart showed the

favourite bird featured on postage stamps which was the

Bald Eagle; it has featured on 385 stamps, followed by the

Western Barn Owl with 293. Further down the list the Emu

was on 72 stamps. The third chart showed that Sierra Leone

was the country most prolific with bird stamps (973) followed

by Guinea (900). Australia was number 13 on the list with

483 bird stamp issues. She warned that the most expensive

Australian stamp is the inverted Swan and is worth $171,543

The talk ended on a lighter note, not to get too serious about

bird stamp collecting and we were shown a set of four

Croatian bird stamps with a Zebra Finch, Canary, Sulphur-

crested Cockatoo and a blue coloured Budgerigar all wearing

silly hats.

Thank you Valerie for the many hours you spent researching

and setting up your brilliant and comprehensive story about

Bird Stamps of the World. I am sure we will all be on the

lookout for Bird Stamps after your amazing presentation.

Alma Mitchell.

Page 14: Lyrebird Tales - BirdLife · Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 2 June 2019 Birdlife Yarra Valley Newsletter Badger Weir Park Re-opens Badger Weir Park was officially re-opened to the

Lyrebird Tales

14 Lyrebird Tales

BIRDLIFE YARRA VALLEY

email: [email protected]

Postal address: Birdlife Australia, Yarra Valley Branch, P.O.

Box 1172, Healesville, Vic. 3777.

Meetings are held in the Badger Creek Hall Meeting Room at

7.45 p.m. Badger Creek Rd. Badger Creek

(next to CFA). Melway Edn 39 278 F8.

Meetings and Outings automatically cancelled on days

of Total Fire Ban in the Central and North-central Fire

Districts. (Central unless notified otherwise)

Calendar July to September 2019

July

Tuesday 9 - No meeting - winter recess.

Saturday 13 - Outing to Sherbrooke Forest Ridge Track -

Meet at Grants Picnic Ground, Monbulk Rd at 8.30 a.m.

Directions: Melway Map 75 K4.

Wednesday 24 - Outing to Baluk Willam Nature

Conservation Reserve. Directions: Melway Map 84 D7. Meet

at 9.30 a.m. corner of Courtney's and Orchid Roads,

Belgrave South. (Nearest public toilets are at Belgrave South

Recreational Reserve Melway Map 84 F4)

August

Saturday 10 - Outing to The Gums & Island Creek Picnic

Area Kinglake National Park and a private property Phillip

Lobley Winery Dam five minutes from The Gums.

Directions: Melway X910 Q11. Meet at The Gums Camp

Ground at 9.30 a.m.

Tuesday 13 - Meeting. Speaker and Subject TBA.

Wednesday 28 - Healesville Parks & Oval. Directions: Meet

at 9.30 a.m. at Coronation Park Car Park (opposite Coles Car

Park) Melway Map 270 C12.

September

Tuesday 10 - Meeting. Speaker and Subject TBA.

Saturday 14 – Outing to Alexandra Area. Directions: Melway

Map X910 T8. Meet at 9.30 a.m. at Visitor Information

Centre Car Park, cnr. Grant & Vickery Streets, Alexandra.

Convoy to different locations. Check if there is car-pooling

from Healesville at 8.30 a.m. Meet in Library Car Park (next

to Coles Car Park). Melway Map 270 C12.

Wednesday 25 - Outing to Plenty Gorge Park.

Directions: Melway Map 183 H8. Meet at 9.30 a.m. at the

Red Gum Picnic Area. From Plenty Road turn into Gordon's

Road. Park entrance on left.

Calendar October to December

Basic dates only. Check September newsletter for

further details.

October

Tuesday 8 - Meeting. Speaker and Subject TBA.

Saturday 11-14 Birdlife Yarra Valley Camp at Wedderburn.

Book with Doug or Jan at [email protected] or phone

5964 4581 and we will send you information. We need to

know the numbers to organize toilets. See notice inside this

magazine.

Wednesday 23 - Silvan Reservoir Park. Directions: Melway

Map 120 H11. Meet at main car park Silvan-Monbulk Road at

9.30 a.m.

November

Saturday 9 - Outing to Coranderrk (Bushland) Nature

Conservation Reserve. Directions: Melway Map 278 F10.

Meet at 9.30 a.m. sharp at Gate 1 (opposite Fleay Road),

Badger Avenue, Badger Creek Gate will close at 9.30 a.m.

sharp.

Tuesday 12 - Meeting. Speaker and Subject TBA.

Wednesday 27 - Outing to RACV Healesville Country Club,

Healesville-Kinglake Road, Healesville. Melway Map 269

J12. Meet at 9.30 a.m. at lower first car park on the right.

December

Saturday 14 - Outing to Badger Weir Park, Badger Creek for

Christmas break- up and BYO picnic lunch. Directions:

Melway Map 278 K9. Follow Badger Weir Road to car park.

Meet at 9.30 a.m.